


Sunday's Child

by TheNennster



Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Armageddon style death tolls, Chris being a rebel leader, Gen, Graphic Violence, S6 from Chris's perspective, basically everybody dies in the dark future, depictions of war, no punches pulled here folks, time travel fic, war between silblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 96,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6283135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNennster/pseuds/TheNennster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the war first started Chris Halliwell had a hope, no matter how small, that he could somehow win it. That was almost a decade ago. Now the only chance left is his desperate plan to travel into the past. A place where his family is less than helpful and shadows from the future are racing to catch up with him. S6 from Chris's perspective. Canon divergence after 6x15.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I saw a re-run of Charmed on TV and I fell in love with the series all over again, particularly the character of Chris and his storyline. Hence this story, an idea that started out fairly simple and turned into a monster. This is going to be most of season 6 from Chris's perspective and as such I'm going to be world building the unchanged future in detail, which will make this story really dark and violent at times. It will follow canon closely until 6x09 and then diverge completely after 6x15. Lastly, a note about the opening poem, yes, I know it's different than the traditional version. However it's the variation that I grew up with so...yea...

_**Sunday's Child  
** _ _Prologue_

_Monday's child is fair of face_  
_Tuesday's child is full of grace_  
_Wednesday's child is full of woe_  
_Thursday's child has far to go_  
_Friday's child works hard for its living_  
_Saturday's child is faithful and giving  
_ _And Sunday's Child is all of these_

Their mother had been just over eight months pregnant when a powerful and invisible force kidnapped his brother from under her watch. She'd blamed herself and the bed rest she'd been ordered to by the doctor she'd insisted on for her second pregnancy after the complications with her first. A recommendation that in the end had little benefit as the stress from the two-week ordeal sent her into premature labor a second time. However, unlike with Wyatt, whose conception had been calculated incorrectly, he was born far too early. From that day onward Christopher Halliwell’s life had been an uphill struggle interspersed with brief periods of happiness. A long chain of events stretched from his initial fight to live in the NICU to this moment as he watched Bianca draw the doorway he’d step through, trading one war zone for another. He always had to endure one type of trial or another, and it just wasn't fair. Why was he the one that had to do it all? 

Sometimes, when he allowed himself the luxury of being philosophical, he wondered if it was his name. Christopher, the one who carries, had his name cursed him to this life of duty? Of sacrifice? Certainly, his lineage had. Yet, even though he should, he couldn’t bring himself to resent his family for that. He had enough happy memories in his childhood to know if it had been up to them none of this would have happened.

“It’s time,” Bianca said with determination as she stepped away from the wall to double check her work. It was the tone she used on missions, the one that marked her as a field commander. A leader in his own right, it shook him out of his musings as she turned to look at him.

“I don’t want to go,” he lamented and he knew that he sounded like a child but he didn’t care. For so long he’d been an infallible symbol of strength for the many and he needed this. This moment, before he had to carry on again, this time all alone. A moment of frailty with one of the few people who knew and loved all of him. His last chance to tell her as he pulled her into a desperate embrace. He’d lost so much already, now it was time to lose her too. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Here,” She murmured giving him back the ring he’d given her. It had been a last romantic gesture on his part. To give her the traditional ring in the place they'd first met after the battle of Golden Gate Bridge. One last pledge to her before they disappeared forever. Now she gave it back so that he could draw strength from it. Not that she could have kept it anyway. Likely she would have dropped it in a storm drain on her way back to _him_. Unable to keep something so connected to her Resistance ties on her person, “this will remind you of why we’re doing this, what’s waiting for you here.” 

“Just make sure you take care of the guards, then get out of here, ok?” He ordered, choking on the words. If this plan succeeded, every promise he’d ever made her but one would go unfulfilled. Time would be rewritten, this version of them would be erased and they would most likely never see one another again. “Because if he finds you, if he knows you betrayed him, he’ll kill you.” 

“Don’t worry,” she murmured giving him that cocky smile he loved before pulling him down into one last kiss. “I can take care of myself.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and placed his forehead against hers, attempting to memorize everything about her. It’s a position he would have stayed in forever had she not pulled away and gently pushed him toward the podium. He stood and briefly stared at a holographic copy of his family’s legacy, gathering himself again, before he pulled out the spell. Until his recon mission, he hadn’t seen this family heirloom in years, now he was going to see it twice in less than a month. A slight smile pulls on his lips as he remembered the end result of that. Wyatt had been furious and he’d nearly died but still, he considered the whole thing an overall success. If for no other reason than he’d been able to one-up his brother a final time.

_I call upon the ancient power_  
_To help us in this darkest hour_  
_Let the book return to this place  
__Claim refugee in its rightful space_  

In a flash, like it couldn’t wait to get away from its current master, the Book of Shadows materialized into the air before him and thumped onto the pedestal. “It worked!”

“The spell!” Bianca hissed as she pulled out a dagger and surveyed the room, preparing herself for the coming soldiers. That admission of panic from the most level headed person he knew spurred his own and he almost ripped pages as he flipped through them. He knew the general location of the spell from his mission and his childhood but even so it took him longer than he would have liked to find it.

_Hear these words, hear the rhyme_  
_Heed the hope within my mind_  
_Send me back to where I’ll find  
__What I wish in place and time_  

The chalk outline glowed a brilliant white and then an eerie blue vortex of swirling lights stabilized inside the design. As the spell’s caster, the magic called to him like a siren’s song and he found himself moving around the podium to stand before the opening without consciously thinking about it. The compulsion to complete the magic was strong, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave without taking one last look at her. Bianca’s smile was gentle and they were still staring at one another when a guard shimmered in behind her and he yelled her name in warning.

“Go!” She ordered loudly as she grabbed her attacker to throw him off her back and across the room. At any other time, he wouldn’t have worried about the master assassin but he could sense the power heading straight for them. Not even she was good enough to go up against a force that size single handily, not without his help and it took all the power his logical mind possessed to overrule his heart. To grit his teeth and step into the light, leaving her behind.

A cacophony of white noise laced color enveloped him and the chaos tried to pull him in every direction at once. Time was a powerful thing and its flow wanted to drag him off to an infinite number of places and moments, rather than the one he wanted. It was only the spell that made sure he never strayed from his path and prevent the pain his mind told him he should be in. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it abruptly stopped and he collapsed forward onto his hands and knees. The change in state caused his stomach to roll as his head spun and he took several deep breaths to center himself. It was only then that his normally hyper-observant mind recognized there were familiar wood planks beneath his palms. Carefully, vision still uneven, he lifted his head to observe the space around him.

Gone were the static displays of memorabilia intermixed with the lights, ropes and futuristic trappings of a museum. Instead, he found himself surrounded by an organic chaos that was only achievable when people lived in a place. Even the air was different and he took another deep breath, conscious this time that the nearly inescapable scent of ash and rotting from his time was missing. His arms gave out and he collapsed to the ground chuckling to ward off the tears that wanted to slip out of his burning eyes.

It worked.

Consciously he’d known it would, had defended this plan against more than one naysayer but there’d still been a small part of him that doubted his success. Few things in his life had ever gone right, hell few things ever went to plan. It was how he'd become something of a master at ‘winging it’, through necessity. Still chuckling he rolled over and groaned as the tension in his back sank into the floorboards beneath him. In that moment he couldn’t even muster the will to think about moving his suddenly heavy body. It was a state he knew well after years on the battlefield, he was coming down from an adrenaline high.

"Piper! Paige!" Chris’s relaxed body instantly tensed as the familiar voice of his aunt filtered up through the floors of the Manor. He hadn't heard the sound in nearly a decade but it didn’t matter. Not when it was seared into his memory like a brand. He screwed his eyes shut and took short gasping breaths as her continued calls triggered memories he'd done his best to suppress since her death so many years ago.

_....A room full of demons, a bloodied sword, an uncle and all but one cousin in pieces on the floor and his aunt’s desperate pleas to save her last child..._

He was still breathing hard, his heart racing, when the creaking of the stairs and the closer sound of her voice jolted him out of the memories. During his teenage years, PTSD had been a constant shadow in his life, sneaking up on him the second he let his guard down. It was only in recent years that the problem had subsided to the point where he was rarely if ever crippled by it. He’d just gotten used to being too busy to break down and this deluge was unwelcome, to say the least. It was that frustration he latched onto as he forced his fists to unclench from the old Oriental rug beneath his legs and orbed away before she found him. Not having a destination in mind he opted for a landmark and landed heavily on one of the bright orange metal towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Chris breathed deeply, in and out, as he stared at the city sprawling out before him. It looked just as he remembered it from his childhood save a few buildings that likely hadn't even been thought of yet. No ruins, no corpses littering the streets, no terrified and soulless people scurrying from one blown out hovel to another. A place where the only parts of the city being looked after were the area around the manor and Wyatt's palace a block away. Now more level, he slammed his fist hard against the metal, growling as the pain finally centered him completely.

That couldn't happen again.

He couldn't break down into a tear-filled wreck just because of the things that happened to him. He'd survived and he wasn't about to let simple _memories_ beat him. He had a job to do. He had a mission he couldn't afford to fail and he needed to remain anonymous to do it. They couldn't know who he was and for that, he needed to appear detached. Something that was impossible if he couldn't even hear their voices without becoming debilitated.

He needed a plan.         

* * *

 

**_Next Time: Chris undergoes exposure therapy and a birthday is ruined._ **

 


	2. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: From now on each chapter will have at least one flashback to the 'Dark Future' timeline, so here I go! Also, I'm sorry in advance, you'll understand why at the end.

 

**Part 1: The Breath Before  
** Chapter 1  
**Ghosts**

The plan was simple.

He'd follow his family, learn where he was in the timeline, and in the process hopefully gain some immunity to his triggers. It was essential to his plan that he be able to act indifferent to them and for that, he needed to wear out his emotional responses _to_ them. This wasn't the future where he was lucky if he got a few hours of 'down time' as he ran for his life or plotted. A place where his survival instincts and responsibilities continuously beat down his emotions; he needed to be prepared for that. Which was why, considering his violent reaction to her, he'd tracked down Phoebe first. All it took was a simple glamor spell and he was lurking around the Mirror as its newest intern.

At first, the memories of that day assaulted him with every word she spoke and every time he saw her smile. More than once he'd been forced to lock himself in some kind of closet, fighting a panic attack that wanted to debilitate him; gripping the pendant his cousin, Parker, had given him for comfort just before his trip back. At the center of the pendant sat a Red Aventurine triquetra on a field of Moldavite that was ringed by a disk of Azurite and a silver weave. She'd chosen each of the crystals to amplify his powers while focusing his mind and helping him push through the emotional pain. It was more colorful and ostentatious than something he would have normally worn and if the sisters saw it there would be questions, but he couldn't deny that he could feel the power in the crystals working on him. He could feel the vibrations balancing his emotional state as well as amplifying his abilities and focus.

The combination of it, and over a week of constant effort, because he'd survived the real thing and he would survive the memories dammit, resulted in success. He'd even been able to hold a conversation with her about her nephew's 'christening' the next week with only a slight catch in his throat. An event that meant Wyatt was just under three months old and that there was little over a month before the Titans were set to arrive, he needed to work faster.

In this time Paige was completely focused on her craft and that made running into her inconspicuously more difficult. In fact, it took him another week in and of itself to even get close enough to see her let alone talk to her. Again the memories had hit him but they were infinitely less debilitating than the ones of her sister. Yes, they were traumatic, but in a completely different way. She'd broken him out of his months-long prison and saved him, trading her life for his freedom in the process. There'd been no blood or mutilated bodies of family members. Just hopeless despair as he was forced to watch her taken captive by a monster, never to be seen again. That difference was important and as a result, it took him less time to work through his feelings about her. He was grateful for that small mercy. He didn't have that much time left and he needed to start laying the groundwork for his other plans.

Then came the hardest one.

The one he'd saved for last.

He'd tried to prepare himself for the sight of her. He'd thought about it, dreamed about it even in his Network quarters. Yet nothing could have prepared him for the actual moment he caught sight of her for the first time.

Chris leaned heavily against a tree as he lost the ability to breathe. There she stood alive and well. A young and vibrant version of his mother, with a smile on her lips and sunshine in her hair. She was leaning over the stroller he knew held his brother and every part of him but his broken heart felt numb. He choked back a sob and completely crumpled against the trunk, slipping to its base, as his legs finally gave out. He'd never been more grateful for sunglasses, as they hide most of the tears that he could feel trailing down his cheeks. She looked so alive, so happy, so like the woman who had raised and loved him and nothing like his last blood soaked memory of her.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

" _Chris? Did you finish – Seriously Christopher? Again?" Piper snapped, her voice less than pleased as she glared down at him. With her hands on her hips like that, not even being covered in flour from tonight's cake could make her less imposing._

_Chris had the good sense to look ashamed in the face of his mother's temper and quickly stood to shut off his Playstation. "Sorry mom, but in all fairness, it's my birthday. I shouldn't have to clean."_

_The look she leveled him said more than words ever could, and he quickly started to collect the miscellaneous items scattered around the Conservatory without further argument. "That's what I thought, Mister. It's not officially your birthday until seven and you're going to be fourteen not four. This room better be clean by the time I get back…and no magic. You clean this room the slow way for that attitude."_

_Chris sighed and gestured dramatically with a toy in each hand like the put upon thirteen, going on fourteen, year old that he was. It was a frequently used gesture that only got an eye roll out of his mother. Chris pouted as she left the room, and then proceeded to grumble to himself about the injustice of being forced to clean on his birthday. Especially when Wyatt got to be god knows where doing god knows what without getting in trouble for not helping._

_The thought gave him pause and be bit his lips as he stared at the ball in his hands. Unbeknownst to everyone but himself, Wyatt had been sneaking out a lot lately and even though his brother told him not to worry, he couldn't help it. Not when he came home bloody with torn clothing that smelled of smoke, ones that disappeared when he looked for them or said he was with his friends when Chris knew that he wasn't. Not when the energy he felt off his brother seemed darker and darker as the weeks wore on, though no one but him seemed to notice. Then again, that was them. They'd always known more about each other than other people did._

_With a heavy sigh, he placed the ball on top of the pile in the plastic tub before moving to scout the room for any more hidden toys. He knew that he couldn't go to his mother about his worries until he had tangible proof. Something that would be the same if Wyatt brought a concern about his little brother's 'recklessness' to her. Not because she didn't trust them, but because she refused to pick favorites in a he said/he said situation. If there was an issue, and you had proof, then she'd deal with it. It was a parenting strategy that had confused and upset their father years ago but she'd quickly silenced his objections. She'd brought up numerous instances in her childhood when she, or her sisters, had lied to get the other in trouble for one reason or another. She'd gone further to point out the times outside the house when Chris had been blamed for something that Wyatt had done. He was always the one blamed when Wyatt did something, even against the objections of the boy himself. She wanted home to be a safe place for both of them and refused to pick between them. He also had to be careful. He didn't want to lose his brother's trust in the process of trying to help him when he clearly needed it._

_Now sure that the room was clean, he hefted the container and headed for the stairs. The ease with which he carried the heavy receptacle was only thanks to the forward thinking of Phoebe. She had convinced her sisters that it would be a good idea to start training their kids early in self-defense. Paige and his mother had resisted the idea, to put it mildly. They'd been incensed by the notion that Phoebe wanted to turn their children into 'magical warriors'. Thankfully, mostly because he loved it, she had convinced them that just because they didn't want the kids to fight, didn't mean they wouldn't have to someday. They were the children of the Charmed Ones, the cousin and younger brother of the Twice Blessed. They needed to be prepared and able to defend themselves. Better to have the skills and never have to use them, than need them and not have them. In the end, she'd driven the final nail into the proverbial coffin by reminding them how many times they'd almost died because they had no clue what they were doing in the beginning._

_That argument had won them over and from that day forward it was two martial arts classes a week at a dojo downtown. Then Saturday mornings spent with his family trying to incorporate his powers into what he'd learned. He loved the work and practicing his powers with people who could handle them, outside the strict rules of magic school. He also got to spend quality time with his brother, something that had happened less and less frequently over the last year. He blamed school and the assignments the Elders had started giving the older boy for that. Especially considering that whenever he did have free time Wyatt generally tried to spend it hanging out with him._

_Lost in circular thoughts Chris didn't notice the demon until he was hit in the back with the energy ball. The force of it slammed him head first into and around the archway connecting the main sitting room to the front parlor. The items he carried flew in all directions and he landed hard face down on the floor. The attack left him too stunned in that moment to notice the lack of pain that he should have felt. Then he must have lost time because between one blink and the next his mother's terrified face was before his._

" _Oh God! Oh God! No, no, no! Chris! Chris sweetie, can you hear me? Look at me Peanut!" she was frantic and between questions for him that he couldn't seem to answer, she made calls to his father, brother, and aunt._

_Anyone and everyone she knew had the ability to heal, but then quickly gave up when he started to cry. The pain finally making itself known in his upper body. She sat back out of his peripheral to pull out her cell phone and he saw a bright flash before she went flying into the parlor and out of his line of sight._ _Unable to move he could only watch as two black-covered legs walked past him and after her. Even through the clouding of his mind, he knew what this was and his breath sped up. His mother was hurt and considering the demon didn't explode in retaliation, most likely unconscious. So he closed his eyes and focused, trying to force his telepathy to do something he wasn't sure it could._

_If he could move objects with his mind then he could move his pain ridden arms, if he could lift furniture with the twitch of a Pinky he could move his numb and uncooperative legs. In this way, he was able to force himself into a sitting position like a puppeteer pulling strings. The action went unnoticed by the demon who had its back to him and just as it was about to drop an energy ball on his wounded mother, he threw his hand up with a scream. His powers focused, he squeezed his fist, and the demon grabbed its throat in reaction._

_Before this moment Chris had never even conceived of his powers being used in such a way. He wasn't even sure what made him think of it now, but he did and he squeezed harder. The strength of his hold forced the choking demon backward. The creature backpedaled straight into the dislodged hallway rug where his foot caught and it fell to the floor. The ball of energy it'd created following it down where it was hit and destroyed. As the demon erupted into flames Chris's strength gave out and he fell forward to the floor again, banging his head hard against the blood-slicked wood._

_He'd never felt this helpless before in his life._

" _Leo!" His mother gasped her mantra finally continuing a few feet from him. He wasn't sure when she'd woken but she seemed unable to move as well. "Wyatt! Paige!"_

_His ears were ringing and his vision was crowded by black around the edges, but even so he refused to give into oblivion. He couldn't, his mother was hurt and fading faster than he was, he could feel it. He needed to push. He needed to be strong like his brother. Wyatt would never have let this happen. Wyatt would have already been up and tending to their mother if he was here. He knew he wasn't Wyatt but right now he needed to be; because the alternative was that she was going to die and that wasn't an option._

_His progress was slow as he dragged himself through the blood and debris to her, injuring himself worse on the broken glass and wood as he crawled. His voice joining her weakening one in calls for their family. Still, no one came. Why was no one coming? Surely they realized they weren't being called for fun by now. Finally, taking far too long, he got to her. Her eyes were glassy and her voice was barely a whisper but even so, she seemed to see him._

" _Peanut," she gasped and his body gave out as he collapsed against her blood soaked chest, that tenuous parental bond between them fraying to the point of breaking. The last of her strength used to place her hand on his head. "I love you swee-e-theeart."_

_Then she was gone._

_She was gone and he stopped calling to everyone but Wyatt as the world faded to black and what sounded like a concussive explosion rang in his ears._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

It was hours later, when he was healed and rested, that Chris learned what had happened. A ward. The demons that attacked them had been testing a new design being developed in the underworld. Its purpose was to block the psychic connection between victims and their families or whitelighters until the moment of death. That meant no one had known anything was wrong. At least not until Wyatt had felt the connection with his mother snap so abruptly, being sent to his knees in the process. The pain had brought his brother running home and to his utter fury, he found the house shielded and inaccessible. Paige, who'd also felt the break along with the rest of the family, told him she'd gotten to the house just in time to see his brother rip the spells apart like tissue paper, his magic swirling around him like a living thing. She'd never seen him so angry or so broken when they were found. His mother already gone and his brother seconds away from the same fate. Saved just in time by the brother, who could now hear his little brothers desperate cries fading quickly from his mind.

Chris took a deep shuddering breath as he stared at the grass before him, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. After that their father had 'moved in' so to speak. The Manor was just too small for a combination of the remaining families and they didn't want to lose the house. Leo told the aunts he'd made a deal with the Elders and for the first few months, he was around most of the time. Yet, just as Chris had known would happen, he started coming home less and less until the boys only saw him once a week if they were lucky. It was something they never brought up to anyone else. If their father happened to be away when someone came over it was always 'you just missed him' or 'he'll be home later', not that it mattered. They had each other and that was all either of them needed, at least that's what Chris had told himself at the time.

To say his brother became overprotective during this time would have been an understatement. Something that only got worse the more Leo pulled away from them. Wyatt came to believe because it was just the two of them and Chris was still so broken, that he needed to be a parent, not just a brother. In the years since he'd come to realize it was his brother's way of coping. Whenever things got tough Wyatt focused on his little brother instead of his own feelings. It wasn't healthy but from his earliest memories, he knew the older boy had always done it. Somehow in the giant mess that was their lives, Chris had become his brother's emotional security blanket. As long as Chris was with him safe and happy then Wyatt could weather any storm, he was stable. It was only after their mother's death that his personality quirk became an obsession that just got worse with time.

Wyatt never left him alone, unless forced to by the Elders for training and it started to concern the fourteen-year-old. In the beginning, he hadn't minded, comforted by the strong presence of his brother, happy almost, that they got to spend so much time together. Wyatt had even given him a protection amulet that, at first, he hadn't realized let his brother know where he was at all times. Once he figured that out, however, Chris had stopped wearing it regularly and the older boy had been enraged. Those fights had been brutal and the worst of them had taken place a month before the 'Events' one year mark. When he'd reached his breaking point with his brother's smothering.

Chris had decided he wanted an ice cream and was heading out to get one by himself. Truthfully he'd wanted to be by himself more than anything else. Only Wyatt was there popping out of the parlor saying he'd like to come and Chris had snapped. He couldn't take it anymore, his brother was everywhere he was. He was 'Helicopter Wyatt'. Always there and hovering on the peripherals of his vision. Just the previous week he'd been in the park with some friends and off in the distance there was his brother. He'd been standing by a tree talking to a suited dark-haired someone, but still watching him, always watching him.

At the time, he'd made sure to clarify that he did appreciate the effort. That he knew where it was coming from but that his brother needed to calm down. He was being suffocated. For a brief moment after his tirade, the blonde had just stared at him blankly. There was an emotion in his eyes that Chris couldn't name and a feeling raced through their connection that confused and almost frightened him. Then the moment was over and Wyatt sighed before rubbing the back of his head. He'd conceded that he might have gone a bit overboard, letting his fears get the better of him and they'd spent the rest of the afternoon talking the situation out. After that, his brother had started actively living his own life again and letting Chris live his.

Chris's mouth quirked before looking back at his mother and the infant version of his brother, he was sure Wyatt always regretted giving him that freedom.

* * *

_**Next Time: Chris lays the groundwork for his plans and boys are boys.** _

 

_**Chris's Pendent:** _

_** ** _


	3. Leaders of the End

Freya watched him with a calculating eye as he effortlessly defeated the best of her current recruits and even a few members of her elite guard. All without using his magic. Several years of formal lessons, months of training with his brother, further training with the surviving Valkyrie, and finally Bianca had turned him into a nearly unstoppable weapon should he choose to be. In constant motion, he was like the wind as he moved around and through his opponents with a seemingly effortless grace. Something he'd _earned_ over a decade of blood, sweat, and constant practice. All while having the telekinetic skill to control multiple projectiles as he fought hand to hand at the same time.

His Valkyrie trainer, Rivan, had once commented that if it wasn't for Wyatt he easily would've been the strongest warrior in any realm. At the time he'd found the statement disconcerting, to say the least, but she'd been right. His brother's top advisor, the Old One Azulon, had even called him a 'Whirlwind of Death' when he'd unknowingly met him on the battlefield. It was a description that had stuck, much to his horror, and _'Whirlwind'_ had become his call sign among the Resistance. A name whispered in fear among Wyatt's legions. The only name the Resistance Leader had to the public for the first few years of Wyatt's reign. It haunted him. What he was forced to become and do to save what was left of everything he held dear, from the brother he'd once loved so completely.

"Enough," Freya called, her soft but commanding voice carrying over the din of combat easily. "You pass, Christopher. It's clear you weren't just an ally but also trained by us."

Chris bit his tongue to stop a caustic remark from leaving his lips and stood from a defensive crouch to bow respectfully to her. He'd have thought the medallion given to him by the last of the Valkyrie would be enough, but no, of course not. Why would anything ever be that simple for him? He wanted to sneer at the injustices of his life but controlled the urge. As his second, Brandon, always said, no matter what never insult a Valkyrie, particularly one whose help you wanted.

"Yes," he nodded his head sharply, standing in the at ease stance his men often used in his presence. "And I've led what's left of your warriors into battle many times."

Freya's head tilted and she took note of the things he wasn't saying. He was letting her know he was the one that made the rules in his time; without giving her the how or why in front of those that wouldn't understand the price of that knowledge. "I see, come, we shall talk."

Her command given, she walked away, gesturing her followers to stay behind and led him back toward her palace. He was thankful that as the leader of a trans-dimensional pocket reality she had a basic understanding of the delicacies of time travel by virtue of her station. It significantly cut down on the time he would have to spend convincing her to see things his way. The fact that Rivan had given him pointers on how to approach the seemingly calm but quick to anger Queen, were just bonuses.

"Tell me, Christopher, why should I help you with this endeavor?" She asked walking forward to gracefully drape herself across her throne. The room he stood at the center of was large and of a similar design to the arena, only with fewer cages and more curtains and cushions. "You say your mission is to prevent the Final Battle. I thought you understood what it is we do here."

"Only it's not the Final Battle," He said after a pause, opting for at least part of the truth. There were some things he could tell her without breaking time irrevocably. Her people had a non-interference policy after all, "Before you died you told me something was wrong, that it shouldn't be happening like this. I didn't get it then but I do now. Something got screwed up, so now I'm here to play temporal handyman."

Freya relaxed back into the throne, her green-gray eyes thoughtful, "Which explains why you lead my soldiers. I would leave them in the capable hands of one such as you, even considering you are a man. You've made a lot of difficult choices Christopher. I can see that in your eyes, you know the cost of war."

Chris let a fraction of his history into his expression, "more than anyone has a right to and still less than some."

She tapped a finger on the armrest of her seat then sat up straighter, her decision apparently made, "As you well know we have a mandate of non-interference. As such the help I can offer you is limited. However, I'll grant you what little assistance I can."

"You won't even have to leave Valhalla," he smirked and her interest was piqued, "all I need is for you to hold someone powerful for me, just for a while. They're in the way but I can't kill them without…well, without erasing my existence. They play a pretty big part in that."

Freya pursed her lips but she nodded her head in acceptance, "We'll hold them but it must be asked, are you entirely sure it's wise to play with the fate of one so intrinsic to your own?"

"No," Chris folded his arms and frowned, his shoulders sagging like a weight had been placed upon them. He hadn't been able to get any rest since his trip back and it was getting to him. This time was so different from his own where he'd been too tired to do anything other than pass out for a few quick hours. Here he actually dreamed and that was _never_ a good thing. "Honesty, I think it's a stupid idea but I don't have a choice. I need to be the Charmed Ones whitelighter, and for that, I need the current one, Leo, out of the way."

"The Charmed Ones?" Freya raised an eyebrow as she sat forward. Chris wanted to smack his forehead against a wall, repeatedly. That was the kind of slip that couldn't happen in front of the sisters, ever. He was better than this, keeping secrets wasn't new for him. He just had to get used to keeping different ones. He couldn't afford to get comfortable around people he'd know someday, "I've heard of them, they're great warriors against the forces of evil. It's them you're after?"

"No, not technically," He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a headache started to form behind his eyes. "Look, there's something after the kid and if he doesn't make it the world won't. It's why I need to be close, to protect him."

"You sound as if you're not sure what it is you're trying to do," Freya said becoming increasingly troubled by the situation and he gave her an exasperated look. Something she returned in full, "I understand you can't say much, but I also understand war. I want to know the situation I'll be putting _my_ people in."

"Fair enough," Chris conceded with a deeper sigh this time and if this last effort failed, they might be a good backup plan. Surely they'd be willing to do what he wasn't sure he ever could. "The kid, Wyatt, something's going to happen to him soon and it turns him. In my time he's…well, let's just say he's caused a lot of trouble. If I can stop him from turning, I can stop that future."

The Queen watched him silently before she stood and walked to the balcony behind the throne to look out at Valhalla. It was a while before she spoke, long enough that he started to become nervous, "You're an honorable man Christopher Perry. Most would simply kill the child in question before he became a threat. Yet, you chose the harder road of saving him as well. Send us this Leo and we will make sure to keep him as long as needed."

Chris bowed low and respectfully, even though she couldn't see it, relief making his body feel light. "Thank you for your assistance Lady Freya."

"Talk to Mist outside, she will give you a room where you can rest." She said and turned back to him, a kind smile on her face. "Fear no dreams, we let not the memories of strife or sorrow haunt our warriors here. They've earned that much respite and now so have you."

The offer surprised him but he knew better than to decline hospitality on the rare occasions when it was given to him. So he thanked her again and left the Queen to think and plan alone. Only to run into the pretty blonde who he assumed was Mist outside the door. He could tell from the way she acted as she led him to his room that she found him attractive. He saw an opportunity in that so, as much as it pained him, he flirted with her. He needed allies outside of Freya here if this was going to work and Mist was high ranking enough that she would do. She seemed to enjoy the attentions anyway and gave him a seductive smile before leaving him at his door. He watched her go feeling disgusted with himself then turned back into the room, making a sound that was something between a sigh and a chuckle. The room was spartanly decorated but that was fine by him because the bed was comfortable and he quickly fell into the first sound sleep he'd had in weeks. A powerful feeling of energy and family carrying him off into happier memories as his amulet thrummed gently against the skin of his chest.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_Chris stirred the sauce he'd thrown together for his chicken, checked the potatoes, and made sure the asparagus was sautéing well. With dinner taken care of for the time being he put the pans he was done with in the sink. It was easy to lose himself in the monotony of cleaning and the comfort he found in cooking. He was so focused on his work that he completely missed the sound of the front door opening and Wyatt walking in from the dining room. The older boy was home early and had been drawn to the room by the fantastic smells. The sounds he may have missed but his brother's reflection in the window above the sink he didn't. Especially when he stood there surveying the scene before him with raised eyebrows._

_He knew what his brother was seeing, all the signs littered around him. How clean the room was, the freshly baked cookies on the counter, and dinner for at least three people almost done. All this when the brunette knew his brother and father wouldn't be home for it. These were habits he'd picked up from their mother and ones he hadn't indulged in since her death a year ago. So it wasn't a surprise to him when his brother's shoulders heaved a sigh before he headed to the counter. Apparently, he wanted to steal a cookie before he made his presence known._

" _You're not seriously going to eat that when dinner's almost ready?" Chris asked into the silence making the other boy jump. He spun on his heel to glare with his arms folded, uncaring about how the action wet his shirt. Wyatt paused in shocked, with his hand hovering over the plate, unsure how the little brother who'd had a steel wall blocking their link for days had known he was there._

" _Geez, sorry, I didn't realize you'd joined the ranks of the nutrition police," He said with a dramatic pout and Chris watched his brother playfully dart his eyes back and forth between the cookie and himself. Like he was calculating his chances of snatching a treat and running. Chris's urge to smile was minimal as the teasing side of his older brother made one of its increasingly rare appearances. Instead, he just rolled his eyes, exasperated, before he grabbed the plate and put it on a counter behind him with an 'after dinner Wyatt'. If he had to deal with the third-degree then his brother wasn't going to get to eat a cookie while doing it. In reaction, he could feel the weight of his brother's stare increase tenfold on his shoulders, "what's wrong Chris?"_

" _Nothing," he said giving his brother a bright smile. The responding look he received was flat and he knew he wasn't getting out of this without some kind of explanation._

Dammit, why did he have to come home now? Why couldn't he have waited a few hours? Chris could have lied and said he'd cooked for some friends, they didn't set off the wards placed around the house. Then Wyatt would have been none the wiser because he couldn't tell him the real reason. He couldn't tell him that the blonde's increasingly secretive behavior was starting to bug the hell out of him. To the point that he was on the verge of actually following _his brother one of the nights he disappeared. How could he tell him he'd lost that much faith in the last person he should be able to trust completely? What if he was wrong? What if it really was nothing and he was just being paranoid? He knew after their last dust up a month ago any conversations between them like that would end badly. He didn't want to lose his brother and it felt like that was happening no matter what he did._

" _Ah uh, that's why you did all of this in a kitchen you haven't worked in, in months. Why you've been blocking me for days?" Wyatt asked his questions more as statements than anything as he walked around the island to lean on it._

_He wasn't close enough to crowd, but it was close enough to let Chris know he couldn't avoid the conversation. His brother was even testing the mental barriers he'd put up, looking for something that would tell him what was upsetting the younger boy. It set Chris on edge and he crouched to pull the chicken out of the oven so that he didn't snap. He needed to give a little because he didn't want his brother in his head right now._

" _No seriously Wy," He said grasping for a plausible reason for his behavior outside of the truth. It wasn't that hard. He'd become famous over the last year for what his family diplomatically called his 'mood swings'. "I've just been down, didn't want to bring you with me…there isn't even a reason for it."_

" _Considering what next week is, I think I can figure that out for you," Wyatt said lowly after a beat of silence. The sadness in his eyes made Chris feel horrible for invoking that memory to get himself out of trouble. Then his brother ruffled his hair affectionately. "I guess I've gone from one extreme to the other with you, haven't I? Damn, I used to be so good at the big brother thing before…well, everything."_

" _Oh, you're just fine with the big brother thing," Chris grumbled as he patted down his now mussed hair and scowled at the blonde, who watched him with dancing blue eyes. He was not a dog and he hated to have his head rubbed like one. Wyatt knew that it was why he did it in the first place. It was an offense that couldn't go unpunished. So he thought of an idea that would not only distract his brother but pay him back as well. "Believe me - hey Wy, could you get that spatula over there? I washed too soon."_

" _Sure thing bro," He smiled as he slapped Chris on the back and walked over to the sink. Only to be hit full in the face with a wave of dirty water. The room was nearly silent as the blonde stood there frozen, dripping dirty water on the floor. Finally, Chris couldn't help himself and he almost bent double as he laughed. In reaction to his mirth, their bond cracked open and the feeling of happiness doubled as it rebounded back and forth between them. He was still gasping for breath when he looked back up to find his brother trying to glare imposingly at him with the sink hose in hand. "You're dead. I hope you know that."_

_What followed was part water and part food fight that put all their past efforts in that area to shame. It left the room wrecked and them filthy as they laughed on the floor. Wyatt had always been the better fighter and it didn't take him long to put Chris in an inescapable headlock. Not that it stopped the younger boy who refused to admit defeat as his brother dramatically told him to surrender. He may not be the best fighter but he was scrappy and determined. It was the scene their Aunt Paige orbed into, having stopped by to look at the book for something and while she'd reprimand them for the destruction, even she couldn't keep a straight face. It had been good to see her teenage nephews actually acting like teenage boys again._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Chris woke slowly and gazed blankly out of the archway on the wall across from his bed. It opened onto what looked like a stone balcony that overhung a small garden. It was a relaxing aesthetic choice if nothing else and with a loud groan he pushed his heavy body up and stretched. He could tell from the angle of the light outside, and the feeling of his body, that he'd slept a lot. Very likely an entire day if not more.

The sigh that escaped him ruffled his hair and he stood to start his post wake up routine. It was an old habit that stemmed from his early years of martial arts training, back when he'd first realized he needed to work twice as hard to even keep up with Wyatt. Now it was something to keep himself in peak condition and he lost himself in the familiar movements. It allowed his mind to wander and he was able to stuff the memory back into its mental compartment where it belonged. Memories like that were the reason he was so thoroughly convinced his brother could be saved. That he wasn't inherently evil as so many liked to believe. They were why he'd fought him for so long. Why he'd tried so hard with his version before finally realizing there was no hope in that time.

A simple hour's workout later he was wide awake and only slightly sweaty, as he got ready to face the world again. He grabbed his shirt and paused before bringing it to his nose and the smell made him grimace. His workout had brought another issue to the forefront of his mind, namely that he needed a shower and definitely a haircut. His hair hadn't been this long since he was fifteen and it made him uncomfortable. He knew to most it sounded strange but to him having short hair symbolized freedom. That and he hadn't wanted another thing tying him to the older brother people despised and always seemed to see at first glance. He was the leader of the Resistance, he couldn't afford to have the people under his command questioning his loyalty. He'd learned early on that perception was most of that battle.

"I'm glad you're awake," Mist said catching him as he walked out of his room in search of something to eat. He gave her his best charming smile and she blushed, "Freya sent me to fetch you. She sensed you'd awakened sometime ago and thought you might need food. You've been asleep for a day and a half you know?"

"Really?" he wasn't all that surprised, he'd needed it. The extra rest would help in the months to come. He doubted he'd be getting much downtime once he met the sisters. "I guess it was only a matter of time before I crashed."

Mist tilted her head as she led him through the corridors, "Is it common that you push yourself until your body forces you to sleep for days."

"More than I'd like it to be," Chris replied airily. His tone gently ending the conversation, as they rounded a bend in the corridor and walked into a large gallery room full of tables. It was an impressive space but what really caught and held his attention was the long bar full of food along the left wall. Much of it he hadn't seen since before he'd been his brother's captive.

The sight made his previously patient stomach grumble loudly as it reminded him that he hadn't eaten in over two days. Without further prompting he quickly filled a plate high with everything he remembered that tasted amazing and ate with gusto. That wasn't to say that Chris or the Resistance lacked food or that their people ate poorly. In the beginning, it was true they'd scraped by on scavenged resources and many had gone to bed hungry days in a row as they built the Network but those days were over. After seven years their basic refugees ate better than most of Wyatt's top people with food grown on hidden farms in the most remote places on Earth. Helped along by the nymphs and nature spirits that had sought asylum with him over the years. Only the climates they were forced to set up in put a limit on what they could grow or the animals they could raise.

"I see the food meets your approval," Chris's head snapped up and he found Freya's second, Kara, leaning across the table to loom over him. Beside her, Mist looked back and forth between them, her expression wary.

She was a beautiful woman, with bright blue eyes and wild brunette hair but she also had an aura about her. It demanded respect. That combined with her combat ready physique, made it obvious why she held the position she did. Though the current look in her eyes brought back memories of how big a pain in the ass she'd been after the Valkyrie joined their ranks. She'd been upset, incensed actually, that Freya had put him in charge before her death. As a result, she'd questioned his every order and it took him months of frustration to win her over. Now she sat on the Resistance council where she was one of his top allies and an invaluable source of military strategy. She'd even engineered the 'Great Stadium Liberation'. The hugely successful attack three years into Wyatt's rule that had announced their existence in the world and where he'd spoken to his brother again for the first time since the weeks after his rise to power.

"Kara!" He cried smiling at the woman, deciding to try light and friendly. He knew it would throw her off to be addressed with so much camaraderie. "Great to see you, or, I guess, it's great to meet this version of you."

"You know me?" She asked standing up straighter and he chuckled.

"Yes, you're uh...well let's just say you and I work – will work together. I can always count on you for a good idea when I need one," He responded and then he gestured eagerly to the food across the room. "Have you eaten? If not you should get something and sit with us. You can tell me all about Valhalla. It was already gone by the time we crossed paths and I'm interested."

A deep crease appeared on her forehead and she eyed him before finally walking away to fill a plate. He suppressed a triumphant smile as she sat back down beside Mist, who seemed put out by the intrusion. The rest of the meal he joked good-naturedly with the surly woman while inoffensively flirting with his blonde companion. She hadn't called him out by the end of it so he was reasonably sure he'd won them both over.

"You're exceptionally clever Christopher Perry," Kara said spinning her goblet by its stem once Mist left to take their dishes to the kitchen as ordered. The way she looked at him from across the table made his stomach drop. "I accept that you know me and that we are allies in the future. What I do not accept is that you're trying to manipulate support for your mission out of myself and Mist."

Chris cleared his throat, he should have left well enough alone. It had been a spur of the moment idea, rather than a calculated risk when he'd seen her. One that wasn't paying out. Now he needed to salvage the situation if he could. In a military setting, inter-organization power plays could be dangerous if handled incorrectly and he'd never really mastered the art.

"Yea, ok, I admit I'd like your support. But I know better than to try and trick it out of you." he winced a little, "You, uh, beat that lesson into me a long time ago. Come on, I'm not really that bad once you get to know me."

"I've seen enough to know you're dangerous. That you possess the kind of calculating mind I've only ever seen in those who've grown up on a battlefield," she replied her face giving nothing away about how her observations made her feel. "You're constantly looking for ways to outmaneuver those around you because it's been essential to your survival to this point. There's also a level of determination about you that I've rarely come across. It's in the way you fight and hold yourself. You're the type to achieve your goals no matter the cost. It's a trait I could see myself admiring if we were true allies, but we're not."

Chris had to focus to prevent his jaw from clenching. It was imperative that he kept his face entirely devoid of all emotion as she talked. He knew better than to let her know she'd gotten to him. He may like her but not enough to sacrifice the future for her, "are you going to work against me, Kara?"

His voice was as flat as his face and she was taken aback at the stone wall he presented to her. The lively man from seconds before was now nothing more than a memory. He noted the way her shoulders shifted and leaned back to lessen the power of his threat. It seemed to help, "No, Freya's explanation and the medallion tells me all I need to know about the importance of your mission. But I will be watching. I will speak up if I find your interests and the interests of my people no longer coincide."

Chris weighed his options and nodded his consent to those terms. It was the best he could hope for under the current circumstances and truth be told her stance wasn't wrong. His agreement given, Kara stood and walked out of the dining hall without a backward glance leaving him to plan his next move.

_**Next Time: Chris has a little chat with Destiny and his family** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a note, Chris fell asleep and had a dream of his brother at the same time Wyatt was having his Wiccaning. Just thought I'd point that out. Also, I know that the whole telepathy between siblings is a pretty common Trope, especially in Charmed fics. However I don't have it in this story simply for the sake of having it. The reason I put it in this one is because of 5x20 in which the sisters lose one of their senses. By the end of that episode they're almost able to communicate psychically and likely would have done so given more time. Then Leo said that that underlying bond is why the Charmed Ones were so strong. When building my story I reasoned that Wyatt and Chris, because of their original destiny which you will learn about next chapter, would have been given a similar advantage. However, like everything in the Dark Future circumstances changed things and their current connection is not what it was supposed to be. How and why it was changed will be explained either later in this story or in the sequel I'm already building an outline for. Not sure which yet though.


	4. Angels and Fate

_It was a picture perfect Northern California fall day when Chris orbed onto a remote hilltop in Napa Valley. This was a special place he'd found almost two years ago when his mother had dragged them all over the area looking for a new wine seller for her restaurant. She and his brother had dutifully followed the tour guide through the nearby vineyard but he'd had a different idea. It was the fifth such tour that day and at twelve he could only be expected to endure so much. So he'd slipped away and wandered into the surrounding hills hoping to find a wood nymph or some fairies he could talk with until his mother wanted to leave._

_What he'd found instead was a little valley nestled between two hills, crowded in bushy trees and at the center sat a large pinnacle shaped boulder. The area had a distinctly magical feeling, one that reminded him of his home, the one his mother had called the nexus. There was also something hidden there just below the surface. This place just about screamed right and safety to him. It was as if the very ground was telling him that this was the perfect place to hide should he ever need to run. That it was meant for him. Which was ridiculous. If he was ever in trouble his brother or mother would be there to help him and if not, then the rest of the family. He didn't need a place like this. Yet, he'd still stayed there for over an hour exploring the newfound wonderland before the calls of his mother and brother pulled him away._

_He didn't want them to come looking for him. It was that feeling again, they couldn't know about this place. Normally he hated hiding anything from them but he figured this one time couldn't hurt. He'd grown up around magic, he knew when a feeling was real and when he was just being silly. So he'd run back to the vineyard and rejoined his family, gotten a talking to from both about wandering off and forgotten about it. At least, until after his fourteenth birthday._

_After he lost his mother and almost died himself, Chris became obsessed with feeling safe again. His brother had even had to coax him out of his closet several times in those early days when being in large open spaces had sent his brain buzzing nonsensically. Phoebe and her Ph.D. in psychology had concluded that he had PTSD. That his actions were only natural given the traumatic experience he'd suffered and having his brother around had gone a long way to helping, but even Wyatt hadn't been enough to fix him completely. Especially when the Elders started commanding him back to the heavens after what they deemed to be an appropriate amount of time to mourn his loss. There was a new threat brewing in the Underworld and they needed their strongest weapon, willing or not. It was during one of these trips when his brother had been gone for almost an entire day, that Chris nearly had a complete breakdown._

_It was the first time since her death that he'd been alone for so long and he'd started to jump at shadows, his heart constantly hammering. It was petrifying to no longer feel safe in the place you called home. Finally, after he'd panicked over nothing and broken a lamp, he knew he couldn't stay in the house. Only that brought up its own concerns, namely, where was he supposed to go? He knew he was being ridiculous and didn't want to worry anyone, especially his brother. Wyatt had been combative enough with their father about the both of them not being there for him during the day. This was his problem and that meant his family and friends' houses weren't an option. They'd tell his brother and father out of concern for him, so where?_

_Like a flash of lightening, the memory of that valley in Napa came back to him. He took it as a sign, it had to be, and without further prompting he'd packed up a bag before orbing there. The place had worked like a charm and from that day forward if he was left home alone he headed to that spot. Originally he'd set up a tent for those increasingly frequent nights when he realized Wyatt wasn't coming home. It wasn't the most comfortable situation but at least he could sleep in the valley, something that didn't happen when he was alone in the house. It was a fate he'd all but resigned himself to until he'd caught an inspirational episode of an old show called Doctor Who. The bigger on the inside ship the main character travelled in gave him a ridiculously brilliant idea and he'd started researching a solution to his lodging problems based on the concept._

_At first, everything had worked out perfectly but eventually, people started to notice things. Like the overly interested looks he got from Paige while she answered a question about pocket dimensions; or the side eye and raised eyebrows he'd get from the magic school bookkeeper when he checked out advanced warding books that he shouldn't be able to even comprehend at his level, let alone study effectively. His continual travels there, combined with his secrecy about it, also caused more than one argument between him and his brother that culminated in his brother agreeing to let him live his own life. Since then he'd been coming here almost daily instead of weekly and his 'hideout' was now completed._

_Chris took deep breaths of the crisp country air as he jogged through the sparsely wooded forest to his destination, excitement bubbling up in him. Today was his last day to double check and clean the hideout. Tomorrow, after his fifteenth birthday party, he'd show it to Wyatt. It was only fair, he'd strung his brother along for months, teasing him about the 'special project' he'd been working on when the blonde wasn't around. One he'd had to swear up and down wasn't dangerous._

_As always the valley radiated peace as he moved to the rock at the center and raised his hand. His intention had been to activate the barely visible seal etched into the stone and open the doorway, but he stopped as his shadow was cast into sharp relief by a golden light behind him. Instantly he spun around with an athame in one hand and his powers in the other, to find a middle-aged African woman behind him. Dressed in a golden white robe, her salt, and pepper hair was pulled into a braid and she watched him with deep brown eyes that he knew from somewhere. He knew her, but he couldn't say how._

" _Who are you?" Chris snapped every magical defense he had on alert and he threw out a call to Wyatt that something wasn't right. Only to find a blank space in his mind where his brother should have been. Panic set in and he stepped back into the boulder behind him, effectively boxing himself in between it and her. "What's going on?"_

_The woman smiled gently and held her hands out in a placating gesture, "Hello Chris, I know you don't remember it but you and I have met before. I'm here to help."_

_Chris inched to the side, away from her, as he tried frantically to yell for his brother through their suddenly non-existent bond. "Help? Really? So that's why you're suddenly here and Wyatt's gone."_

_At the mention of his brother, she looked around uneasily, "Yes, Wyatt. You were planning to show him this place tomorrow."_

_Chris flinched back at the almost accusatory tone as if it was a sin to share his work with his brother. His eye narrowed. It wouldn't be the first time an outside force had tried to make him doubt his brother and he was sure it wouldn't be the last, "What I tell my brother is none of_ _**your** _ _business. Who the hell are you?"_

_Her gaze shifted back to him and he wished it hadn't as he was all but swallowed by its depths. It was like the universe was in her eyes. His weapon dropped from his listless fingers and thumped in the dirt. He didn't have a hope of fighting this person, if she even was a person, "We should talk inside. It would be unwise to allow ourselves to be overheard."_

" _What are-" he started to ask but he was frozen by some kind of magic as she moved forward to the rock, now slightly to his right because he'd shifted so much._

" _Come," she said with the same firm but grandmotherly tone he'd heard his Grams use when she was summoned for one reason or another. "We must talk. I must explain what little I can before it falls apart."_

_Then she walked forward and straight through the rock beside him, disappearing inside._

_He was floored and then enraged that this-this entity thought it could just corner him, cut him off from his brother, and then enter his hideout without his permission. Dammit. Now was he going to have to research a stronger barrier! Then again, was that even worth his time? Was this place safe anymore? The million questions swirling in his head overrode his common sense and he slammed his palm against the circular design he'd almost touched before. The intricate symbol glowed a bright sky blue before it sank into the rock and the stone pulled apart around it. The magic left behind an archway that opened onto a large stone room, which he stormed into heedless of the possible danger._

_His hideout was nothing spectacular just three rooms and a hallway. The main room he entered now was a large circular space he'd divided in half. The left side was the 'kitchen' where he stored snacks and almost every potion ingredient imaginable. On the other was the 'library' where he stored the decently sized collection of books he'd acquired over the last year. Lastly, the center was taken up by a large rectangular table covered in open books and papers with half completed designs on them._

" _I didn't say you could come in here," Chris snarled glaring at the woman as he tapped an empty glass ball next to the doorway. A small spark of light appeared at the center and the dull glow eerily illuminated the woman further into the room. Then the spark traveled down a cord, lighting more glass bulbs in its wake. In seconds the room was brightly lit and the doorway behind him closed itself. With his arms folded he stood and waited for her response as she made what looked like an inspection of the rooms. She even took a quick glance through the archway at the back that opened onto a hall with two small bedrooms off of it._

" _This is well constructed Chris, a bit rudimentary but stable and well bonded. It'll be easy to expand. A very good first attempt," She gave him a look that could almost be called pride, but that didn't make sense. "The flourishes will come with time, they always do."_

" _Right...and you're here why?" he asked exasperatedly, he was done dancing around whatever topic she was avoiding. "Look, either you tell me or I'm gone and never coming back."_

" _I'm an Angel of Destiny, Christopher Halliwell, you should be more polite," she said, her voice was soft but the truth and authority of that statement shook him to his very core. It wasn't a question of whether she was being truthful, he knew she was just like he knew his own name. "And I have been with you since your birth."_

" _Wha-What? Why?" he stuttered unable to comprehend that thought. An Angel of Destiny was following him but that didn't make any sense! He wasn't Wyatt. He didn't have a destiny or all powerful prophecy attached to him. He wasn't Twice Blessed or the Future King Arthur. He was Chris, just Chris._

_She sighed and sat down heavily on one of the many chairs he'd placed around the room's central table. "Before your birth, a choice was made that shouldn't have been and everything's been spiraling out of control since. We've tried to fix it but we failed."_

_Chris was intrigued, not that it was a hard thing to make him feel. He was a curious person by nature and she'd hooked him. So he dropped his backpack on the table and sat across from her, "Ok, and that's my problem how?"_

" _We made a mistake with your brother," she said and because of the bluntness it took him a moment to register what she meant. However when it did he stood, about to start yelling and she held up her hand before he could. "I don't mean his existence, I mean the destiny we gave him. When your mother had to face hers she had her sisters and it was still almost too much for her, for all of them. Even King Arthur had Merlin. Your brother on the other hand was originally meant to face his alone. It was an error we realized within the first year of his life and you were thought into being to fix it."_

" _Wait…are you tryin' to tell me I'm supposed to be my brother's… Merlin?" Chris asked staring at her, then he laughed, "You're joking?"_

" _It's not a joke Christopher," she admonished and her gaze rested heavily on him, almost as if she was reluctant to tell him more. "And yes, that was your original purpose. But that changed when an - when a powerful being changed the flow of destiny. He broke it. You were even born too early as a result and it marked you."_

" _Marked me?" He asked his voice slightly higher than normal, this couldn't be anything good. "What does that mean? Stop talking in riddles!"_

" _I can't tell you -" she started to say but Chris quickly stood up again and slammed his hands on the table. In his emotional state, he unintentionally let loose a blast of telekinetic energy and it sent the tables' clutter flying in all directions._

" _No! You don't get to do that! You can't just show up here, tell me I have some grand destiny and then just not tell me what's going on!" he cried, his eyes flashing at the sedate woman but she looked like she expected the reaction._

_Years ago he'd been jealous of his brother. Wyatt had all this hype surrounding him, he was special, and people fawning over him, their dad included. He, on the other hand, had been relegated to the background by everyone but his mother, aunts, and the brother who refused to let his destiny come between them. It wasn't until he was old enough to see the cracks in him that he realized Wyatt's fate was nothing to be jealous about. His brother was constantly burdened and controlled by the expectations of others. Chris didn't know if he was built for that kind of pressure._

" _Halliwells, you lot are always jumping down people's throats," she said as if speaking to someone more than him and shook her head. "I can't tell you much. Not only is it against the rules but the universe is in a state of uncertainty. If I tell you too much it could make things worse. Even being here is a risk but one I must take or it will fall apart with nothing to stop it."_

_The fourteen, almost fifteen, year old stared at her as the sobering weight of something settled on his shoulders. Whether that something had always been there and he was just now aware of it, or it had now been laid there he couldn't say, "What can you tell me?"_

" _That you can fix it," she paused, then stood up and walked around the table to him. He watched her, as she leaned down and cupped his face in both hands so that he couldn't look away. "Everyone is born into this world for a reason. Your purpose was to be a balance but when the choice was made you became something else, our failsafe. As a result, you've been given all the guidance and pushes required toward the skills you'll need to complete your task."_

" _So, you've been manipulating me all my life to fix something you let get screwed up in the first place?" He asked, on the verge of crying at the picture that was being presented to him. She sighed and then let him go to pick up one of the papers he'd knocked to the floor. On it was a half completed ward he'd been trying to build._

" _Chris you were meant to help Wyatt, as your aunt's helped your mother. To that end you were given specific talents just as he was given powerful magic," she said placing the paper on the table before him. "When we realized we couldn't fix the issue you were given pushes toward honing those talents but we could only do so much, free will does exist. You're the one who took those moments of inspiration and ran with them. You made the choice and continue to make the choice, to master these skills. At any point you could have stopped, still can, but you didn't and I don't think you will. You and your determination made you what you are, we just gave you the tools and directions."_

_Chris picked up the paper and bit his lip as he stared at it, that wasn't such a bad idea he supposed. He'd just essentially been given divine help finding the things he was good at. Only wards, pocket dimension creation, and spell anchors didn't seem like useful things for him to be skilled at, "Why is this so important? It's just…magical math."_

" _You'll see," She looked up and he knew that expression from having grown up in the family he had. Someone higher up was calling her. She frowned and turned back to put her hand under his chin so he couldn't look away again. "Chris I have to go but I want to give you a warning. Tell no one, not even your brother, about this place until the time is right. Believe me, when I say, you'll know when that is."_

_That warning delivered with a heavy finality, she turned into the ball of golden light and disappeared before his eyes. In her wake, she left a confused and frightened boy behind to deal with the ramifications of her words._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The overheated wind weaved itself through his now short hair as it whipped his cloths around him and he focused on the city before him. With his eyes closed behind gradient sunglasses, he easily blocked out the sound of the traffic on the bridge below. This needed to be timed right. He could feel them, through the bond that had snapped into being the second he'd seen each of them. Blood called to blood after all and he'd had to get another ward tattooed on his left shoulder to prevent the bond from communicating both ways completely. The seal made the familial bonds tenuous, a one-way street, but it was enough to let him know how they were doing. At least until he could get himself assigned their whitelighter and that link was formed.

His eyes snapped open when Paige's energy disappeared off his radar and he orbed into the Manor's attic. A quick glance was enough to assess the situation and he moved to Phoebe who was on the ground after being thrown through what looked like a table. He grabbed her and pushed her back down out of the Titan's line of sight before she could look at the god again.

"Don't look into her eyes!" he snapped grabbing every potion within reach and lobbing them at the powerful deity. It only took a few bottles before she got frustrated and left without a fight. Then he pulled off his glasses and helped his aunt to her feet. "You alright?"

Phoebe blinked at him and the lack of recognition in her eyes hurt more than it should have. Then she too surveyed the damage and noticed the now petrified form of her youngest sister. "Oh my god, Paige!"

"Don't worry she's alright," he said walking up behind her after watching her carefully for several seconds. She threw him a disbelieving and slightly horrified, look. "Ok, well, alright she's not completely alright but she's not dead."

"Are you sure she's not?" Phoebe asked softly and she placed a hand on her sister's stone face as if trying to connect with the person trapped inside.

"Frankly you see this a lot, museums, universities town centers. Most of those statues aren't really statues. They're people like your sister here who have been, ah," he paused a little choking on the words, being flippant with her was hard. "Turned into stone."

That seemed to both satisfy and worry her more, so she redirected her focus to him, "Who are you?"

"Chris, Chris Perry," he lied with some reluctance, wanting more than anything to tell her the truth. Then he said something he knew she wasn't going to believe right away. "I'm from the future."

"Oh! My God!" his mother cried as she walked into the room and he almost froze like a deer in headlights for a second before he was able to control himself. His heart still beating quickly, he had to look away at his stone encased aunt until his emotions settled. "Tell me that's just a really good likeness of Paige."

"No," Phoebe dithered, patting the statues' head, trying to give it comfort again. "It's Paige."

"A Titan turned her to stone," he offered, saying his first words to her in over eight years. It was almost comical how anti-climatic it was for him.

"A who?" She looked at him with utter bewilderment and outright suspicion, "Who are you?"

The almost angry accusation closed his throat but Phoebe was there to fill in for him. Her tone mocking, "That's Chris, he's from the future."

"Yeah," he said clearing his throat and ignoring his aunt's expected skepticism, "But just like twenty years or so."

"Friend or foe?" Piper asked out the side of her mouth and he could see the way her hands were poised for a vanquishing.

Phoebe scurried away to her older sister's side muttering, "Not sure yet."

He didn't even have to pretend to be offended, "What do you mean, I saved Paige didn't I?"

Piper laughed, "oh, you call that saving do you?"

"Hey, I'm the one who put my life on the line here," he shot back doing his best to seem dismissive of their problems. Over the last few years, evil had made a concentrated effort to infiltrate their ranks and it had left them rightfully paranoid of outsiders. For his plan to work they needed to think, at least at first, that they weren't his targets. That working with them was a happy accident, not his end goal. "I didn't have to drop everything I was doing to just orb in and save her butt-"

"You orb?" her tone was scornful now and the part of him that had always felt inferior ached slightly. "You're a whitelighter?"

He'd expected this but that didn't mean the suspicion and insults hurt any less. It was a pain he used, channeling it into annoyance, to do what needed to be done. To help him lie to them convincingly.

"Look, where I come from history shows Paige didn't get turned to stone, she died." they were stunned by the declaration, he had their attention, "and with her death, the power of three died too. Allowing Titan's to rule and create a world, you don't want to see. Trust me. I'm here to alter history. To help you save the future."

Truth mixed with lies, he knew it was the best way to make his story believable. That didn't stop his aunt from still being cautious, though, "Who sent you?"

"I can't answer that," he replied after a second's pause. He had a feeling this was going to become a bone of contention between them. If he was in their situation he…well actually he'd probably be a lot more open to the idea having lived the life he had but he could understand their hesitancy. This was going to take time.

"Why not," Phoebe asked proving his assumptions correct.

"Because anything I tell you could risk changing the future in ways we don't want," he thought he was being very convincing, he was wrong.

"Who's we," Piper shot back arms folded and eyes hard. It reminded him of his childhood, and he realized his mistake. A 'he' was a do-gooder helper, a 'he' attached to a 'we' was a conspiracy.

"All I gotta say is," he replied, grasping for a distraction and frustratingly future knowledge was the only one he could think of, "Is that if I hadn't gotten here when I did, Paige would have been the third whitelighter victim."

"Third?" Phoebe gasped, "Wait, I thought only one was missing."

He shrugged, "Not anymore."

"Leo! Leo!" He clenched his jaw when his father materialized before him and the parental bond between them that had been muted to almost non-existence by time snapped back into place. The tattoo on his shoulder burned hotly, blocking Leo's side of it and he was glad he was facing them with a coat on to block the glow. His mind churned, this younger version looked so much like the father who'd never been there for him. Though he could also see shades of the aged and desperate man he'd had an argument with before his trip back. Currently he was apologizing for missing some kind of therapy session. It seemed even this far back his father was a flake when it came to his family. "Forget that, we've got bigger problems."

"What happened," the man asked, noticing the statue of Paige and him standing next to it, though the man's eyes barely glanced at him, typical.

"Forget that too," Piper said bringing his attention back to her. "How many whitelighters are missing?"

"What?" and he wanted to chuckle at his father's slow uptake on the situation and how frustrated his mother seemed to be by it.

"How many?" her tone was still patient but the underlying threat in it reminded him of all the times she'd caught him in a lie. That tone meant 'tell me what I want or face the consequence.' He knew better than to ignore it and apparently so did his father.

"Two," he answered, then quickly moved to comment on his earlier point. "That's what the Elders just called me for,"

"Believe me now?" Chris asked sharply, inserting himself back into the conversation.

"Who's he?" Leo glanced at the sisters and then glared at him suspiciously. The look made him want to hit the older man.

He felt the change in the house's energy levels half a second before they all heard the loud crash from downstairs. He watched the door thoughtfully, as everyone else looked at each other before running to head downstairs to see what new calamity had befallen them. He didn't need to see them, he could sense the assortment of magical creatures seeking asylum. He remembered this part of the story and chuckled to himself as he imagined the looks on all their faces, before turning to look at the Book of Shadows. He'd waited two months for this. It had been a tactical decision because he didn't want to risk meeting them all too soon. Now as he touched the leather cover he felt a rush of magic and smiled. It recognized him as family, even if no one else did.

He turned the pages with gentle reverence, not really looking for anything in particular. It was surreal to see the Book so thin and pages devoted to vanquished demons clean of the notes that the sisters had written on them. He was so lost in his reverie that the sound of a crying baby startled him and his magic pulled him away. It brought him downstairs and into his mother's room, the door to her closet was open and he could see the crib inside. He swore when he realized what had happened and went backed to the attic, ignoring the pull that tried to draw him back. He turned back to the book and started flipping through it with more purpose, in an effort to distract himself.

"What are you doing," Piper asked as she walked into the room. He wondered if the confusion in her voice was because he had the audacity to touch the book or if it was because the book was letting him.

"What does it look like I'm doing," he looked up and then away, he wondered if seeing her face again would ever stop hurting. "I'm looking for a way to free stone cold Paige over there."

"Step away," she ordered, glaring at him and he was forced to look up at her again.

"Oh please, like I haven't looked in this before?" he quipped, unable to help himself. He'd spent many nights in his childhood hidden under his blankets with a flashlight and this book. He knew it probably better than she did. He should have stopped there but, then again, perhaps implying a good connection between them would get him some points. "By the way, you should update your goblins entry. It'll come in handy someday."

"Goblins," Piper looked incredulous and he couldn't help but smile at her as if sharing an inside joke.

"Yea, trust me. It's gonna get ugly," in his mind's eye he could see the disaster they'd turned the house into when he was ten. He and Wyatt had thought the whole thing hilarious but their neat freak of a mother hadn't shared their opinion. Then he sighed, "Look, obviously you don't trust me. But I touched the book and the book thinks I'm good. Shouldn't you?"

"Well maybe you found a way around that," she looked at the book and then back at him, glaring as if it would make him tell her all his secrets.

"Piper come on," he cajoled, it was so hard to be open and friendly without breaking his heart. "I'm just trying to help."

"Well if that's true." She conceded and the look she gave him wasn't trusting but it wasn't hostile either. "Then how about you tell me how to vanquish the Titans."

"Except," he drew the word out, reluctant to finish the statement. "You can't vanquish them."

"You mean not without the Power of Three," she nodded her head as if it was the expected response and his mouth quirked into something that wanted to be a smile.

"Maybe not even with that." He replied bursting her bubble of faith in her family heritage. The wide-eyed look she gave him was expected. The Power of Three had always been the girls go to strategy. It was something he'd always wished he'd had the luxury of, "The only way the Elders could stop them three thousand years ago was by infusing some mortals with a hell of a lot of power. Way more than you guys have."

"So they can do that again," it was a statement but the way she said it was more of a question.

"Not after what happened last time," he shook his head with an uneasy smile. It was surreal to be the one with all the information, the one teaching. "The power went to their heads. They declared themselves gods and demanded the world worship them. The Elders swore they would never allow that to happen again."

"Hang on a second, I'm having a ninth grade flashback," she said looking off into space and missing the way everything about him softened. The tone, the gestures, the wit. This was the mother he'd loved, "You're talking about the Greek gods. Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite. They were mortals?"

"Mythology left that part out, not the only inaccuracy by the way," He knew she wanted to ask more but a dwarf and a leprechaun walked into the room with Phoebe in tow. He knew why she was here. They were planning to enact the rescue plan he knew would work, eventually, just as it had in his timeline. Only she was missing the fairy and potion they would need to finally crack the stone but that would come with time. It was interesting to see the stories he'd heard so many times as a child playing out before him. He smiled fondly as the middle sister walked over to them asking them how their planning was coming along.

"Screwed, possibly," then Piper looked at him again and he wondered what it was going to be this time. "One thing I'm still not clear about. If the Titan's are running around, why are they killing whitelighters?"

"Because they need their orbing power," he replied glad that she was still on a mission and not back to giving him the third degree.

Just as he'd hoped, she made the logical leap from there and ran off to find her husband, leaving him with a confused Phoebe. It was a risk, letting them realize he'd known about this first culling of the Elders before it happened but he saw no other option. Leo needed to be the first back to the heavens in order to release the sister's god powers and become an Elder. If he delayed then Sean, the whitelighter who'd originally done so, would get there first. It had been Bianca's idea and it really was the best way for Chris to start inserting himself into the family and god would Freud have had a field day with him over that thought.

* * *

_**Next Time: God making and jail breaking, all part of a day's work** _


	5. A God Above

All through the night, they tried to release Paige from her stone prison but nothing worked. He rolled his eyes and turned to the curio cabinet as they tried the same thing over and over again. As if it wasn't the definition of insanity. Inside it was various nick-knacks and figurines he hadn't seen since just after he turned fifteen. Many of them he'd played with as a child, much to his mother’s frequent annoyance.

"Now what are you doing over here," Phoebe asked with a frown as she walked over to him.

"Nothin'," he said as he fiddled with a candle he remembered almost burning the attic down with at the tender age of seven. Wyatt had been the reason only the two of them ever knew about that little tidbit. His brother had sensed his distress and come running, putting the fire out with the attic's water filled scrying bowl. Then he’d moved the couch to hide the scorch mark as Chris had been too panicked to attempt the move without destroying something. At the time it had seemed like such a serious event but looking back it made him smile as he sniffed the rose scented wax. "You guys keep this stuff forever, you know that?"      

"You knew the Titan's were after the Elders didn't you," he recognized that disapproving tone. The one she used when she was accusing someone of something but wasn't completely sure they were guilty. He put the memory down with a thump and turned to lean on the case giving her a level look, she was having none of it, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I told you. There are some things I can't tell you," he shrugged, "Some things you need to figure out on your own."

"Even at the risk of making things worse," he would have countered had his mother not come charged into the room. What in the world made her think this wasn't something that _needed_ to happen? He didn’t even want to think about the damage dozens of ‘should have been dead’ Elders would cause to the timeline at large.

"Alright, what's going on?" Piper stormed up to him and he suddenly felt twelve again. "Leo's not responding to any of my calls and it's been over five hours."

"I really don't know," he shrugged, he knew damn well what had happened. He'd felt the pain through his connection with the man and the vague moment of guilt he had from it frustrated him to no end.

"Well, I really think you do," she cocked her head and he knew that her threats weren't far behind the telltale motion.

"Look, you're the one who wanted him to go up there in the first place, not me," which was a truth as much as it was a lie. He'd wanted Leo up there, he just hadn't wanted to directly say it himself. If the looks on their face were anything to go by both of the sisters were onto his game and that wasn’t good. "Alright fine, maybe I do know, and if I'm right he's going to need some serious alone time."

"You know what, cut it out with the cryptic crap," he rolled his eyes as if he wanted to be doing any of this. They were acting like he got off on this or something, "You need to go up there and bring him back. Now. No more games."

"Ok, fine," he relented, mostly because he wanted to stop her from looking at him like that. Hopefully it'd been enough time that Leo would be somewhat more amiable to the conversation they needed to have. He'd wanted to wait until Paige was free but now worked just as good he supposed. "I'll go but if I was you two I'd focus on freeing Paige because you're going to need her. Soon."

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_He orbed into a glowing white hallway and stood for a moment debating with himself. He wasn't supposed to be up here and this could get him in trouble but he didn't care. Wyatt had been gone for a week now and had missed his soccer game this afternoon, the_ **_district finals_ ** _game. He'd promised to be there and he'd missed Chris' game winning goal. Nothing his mother could say to him once she'd come down to the field alone had made him feel any less betrayed. His father was a lost cause where that was concerned, and he didn't care if the man ever showed up, but Wyatt was different. This was the first time in his life that Wyatt had let him down. For that he knew who held the blame._

_The Elders._

_Dad's friends, his colleagues, and the only 'family' that Leo really cared about. They were the jerks that helped destroy his family and didn't care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted. He sighed and shook himself. He knew they had a purpose in the universe, that they needed to exist but did they really have to be such assholes about it all the time? Why couldn't they just be a group of kind old men and women who wanted to help people, who were wise and understanding instead of self-righteous and pushy?_

_"Christopher Halliwell?" still dressed in his dirty soccer uniform the eleven-year-old brunette spun on his heel to look behind him. It was his father’s oldest friend and mentor, Gideon, though he'd never like the man himself. There was always something off about him and he'd never been very fond of Wyatt. "Whatever are you doing up here, young one?"_

_He huffed as his old annoyances and grievances came back, "I was looking for my brother. Mom says a week is long enough."_

_That wasn't even remotely true. He just knew an irate Charmed One matriarch's words would have more sway over decisions than the shafted younger brother no one cared about. "Ah, well, yes. I suppose he has been up here quite long enough. Come, I'll take you to him."_

_Something about Gideon’s tone bothered him, again, but he couldn't say why. Maybe it was just that Gideon didn't like the idea of a non-whitelighter spending so much time in the heavens, even if he was the Twice-Blessed. It wasn’t that uncommon a stance and Wyatt had complained about the situation more than once. His solution had been simple, just don’t go back. His brother had laughed uproariously and told him he was adorable. Chris had pouted for hours about that, repeatedly saying that he wasn't adorable which only made the older boy laugh harder._

_He was led through several similar looking corridors and past golden cloaked beings clicking to one another. They barely spared the two of them a glance and Chris went back to looking at the floor with a frown. Finally, they reached a white door inlaid with gold designs and he could hear something breaking as well as several voices on the other side. The Elder pushed open the door without hesitation to reveal his brother levitating a table with several vases on it, flanked by his father and two other Elders._

_"Wyatt, you have to concentrate. Not a single one should be breaking at this point," said an elderly looking blonde woman as she glared at his brothers back._

_His father looked over at his eldest son thoughtfully, "Maybe we're asking too much. He’s got so many powers, it makes sense some of them wouldn't be as refined."_

_"Leo," Gideon interrupted and vases shattered loudly as the table crashed to the ground. For a second Chris could have sworn his brother was terrified of something. Then the moment was gone and he looked put upon instead. Chris bit his lip to keep from laughing at the utter frustration on Wyatt’s face but sobered by the time the older boy looked over at them. Instantly the blonde’s eyes zeroed in on him and he saw confusion when he noticed the dirty team uniform. "Piper says a week is long enough. She wants Wyatt back."_

_"Chris," Leo sighed, annoyance with his ex-wife clear in his tone and posture. "Tell your-"_

_"A week?!" Wyatt cried looking at his father then looked back at his brother. The color drained from his face as the realization of why Chris was dressed they way he was sunk in. "I've been up here a week? But that means-"_

_"Yep," Chris said popping the P and folding his arms trying to appear nonchalant and failing spectacularly at fooling the other boy. He knew if Wyatt said anymore they'd realize why he was there and he projected as much to his brother. This was a jail break. Instantly his mind was filled with his brother’s apologies. The bond between them allowing him to appear upset but rational on the outside, while frantically trying to beg his little brother’s forgiveness. Chris let him grovel for a bit before a slight smile curved his lips,_ **_it's ok, I know it's not your fault Wy._ **

**_Damn right! I couldn't even hear you calling for me. What if something had happened?!_ ** _His voice snarled in his little brother's head before the boy turned angry eyes on his father, "I'm going home. I'll make sure to practice and get it right by the time I come back."_

_Leo opened his mouth to protest and then gave up as his oldest son stalked away to his youngest. It was then that their father seemed to notice Chris's appearance and he raised an eyebrow, "Did you just come from a soccer game, Chris?"_

_He paused as his brother took his hand, still sending him regrets, apologies, and comfort, then he turned to face the older man, "Yeah, today was the division championships. I won the game for my team, you know, in case you were wondering."_

_Then they both vanished into blue lights heading home. In their wake they left a flabbergasted group of Elders and a stunned Leo. He wondered what new ‘I'm so sorry’ letter or gift he was going to get this time._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Chris solidified in the great hall next to a pillar and leaned on it to take in the devastation around him. The bodies were everywhere and so were the black marks left behind by blasts of energy. It wasn't the first massacre he'd ever witness and certainly not the worst, hell there wasn't even any blood. Though a part of him did wonder if this was what the Heavens had looked like after Wyatt's trap had sprung, then nixed the thought. This had been quick. From what the few survivors had told him about his brothers revenge culling that was far bloodier and much longer lasting. It had even distracted the older boy long enough for Paige to break him out of his prison.

"Leo," he said carefully, knowing the broken man was on the verge of exploding, the look he received in response made him shift his feet into a fighting stance.   

"Why didn't you tell me," Leo growled as he stalked toward him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and shook him violently. "Why did you let this happen?!"

"Easy, easy!" Chris chided as he tried to make his voice sound compassionate and understanding when in reality he could care less about these people or, in a lot of ways, the man in front of him.

"Why?!" Leo yelled in his face, spittle flying and Chris had had enough.

"Because this had to happen!" he snapped his voice hard and authoritative, uncompromising in its certainty. He'd talked down enough distraught people in his time. In fact, he'd become something of an expert at it and wasn't that just sad. His demeanor clicked with the ex-soldier in his father and he felt the blind rage drain out of the other man. "It had to happen so that you could do what has to be done."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked through clenched teeth as he turned away. Chris noticed that he'd subconsciously slipped into a military stance like a soldier at rest. "They're all dead."

He watched his father’s back with calculating eyes. There were a lot of ways he could work with that, he just had to find the right one, "No, not all of them. Some Elders escaped back to Earth, but it won't be long until the Titans hunt them down too. You can still stop them, you can still defeat the Titans."

"How?" and with that one broken word, he knew he'd chosen right. He had his foot in the door, now he had to push that little extra inch.

"I think you know how," he replied slowly walking forward to circle in front of the upset but now at least rational man.

"It's too dangerous, the Elder’s forbid it," Leo replied, ever the company man. Chris wanted to roll his eyes in disgust but checked himself. His attitude was already pushing the boundaries of what his family would consider being ‘good’, he didn’t want them to start doubting and disregarding his intentions completely.

"True, but the Elder's aren't around to stop you now are they?” he conceded running his tongue over his front teeth. His face wasn't as sympathetic as it should have been as he paced and Leo was picking up on that. So he tried the commander again, he was better at that anyway. "That's right Leo, this is what it's all about. This is why they had to die so that you could do something they'd never do. To save the future for your family, for your son. "

"This is crazy," Leo murmured and Chris knew he had him.

"Maybe, but it's our only chance. Like it or not you've been put into this situation for a reason Leo, we both have." Which was just the god's honest truth, at least in regards to him. He'd been led his whole life to this mission.

"Says you," Chris watched green eyes, identical to his own, narrow and he snorted, letting frustration overtake him for a brief moment. "How do I know you're not trying to manipulate this situation for your own future? Just the way you've manipulated everything else."

"You don't," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion. Technically he was fixing things to make a better future for himself but that didn’t automatically mean it was a bad thing. If he fixed the future for himself, then it would be fixed for everyone. So if he had to manipulate his family of the past a little to achieve that, it’s what he was going to do. Although he was finding it uncomfortably easy to use his father. At least with the sisters he felt guilt, but with Leo, all he felt was irritation that it was taking longer than he would have liked. "But what choice do you have. There's certainly no future unless you do something."

"I don't know. Even if I believed you, even if I wanted too, I couldn't. I'm no Elder," he replied still watching him with those distrustful eyes.

"Well you better start acting like one," Chris snapped, pushing down the urge to throttle the man. This was a fact the other man just had to deal with. He was done catering to Leo's delicate sensibilities, he had a job to do and this was wasting time.

Leo still hesitated and he ground his teeth a little but did his best to appear calm. Of everyone in his life, his father was the only one outside of Wyatt that could really get under his skin. There was too much resentment there and his temper was just starting to boil over when the other man finally relented and entered the golden storeroom doors.

Now alone in the wreckage of the great hall he let out a long breath as he tried his best to push down his emotions. Only to find that they were too volatile at the moment to be easily sealed away. He needed an outlet. So he grabbed a blade out of his pocket and threw it as hard as he could into a distant stone bench. With the throw he used his powers to channel all his frustration into the metal, trying to expel them through his magic. The blade struck true and the seat exploded into pieces that flew in all directions. He made a tsking sound as he raised his hand to stop the blowback from hitting him even at this distance away from the source. Then he was annoyed with himself as he called the weapon back to find that it was warped and unusable. He made a noise somewhere between a growl and a sigh as he pocketed the twisted metal and moved to sit on the steps, uncaring of the bodies around him. He'd lived in a world where billions had been slaughtered, corpses were like bushes to him at this point.  

"Piper," Leo gasped sounding desperate to get back to the woman he loved as he walked out of the vault several moments later. He’d heard her constant calling as well, and almost rolled his eyes at it.

"No," Chris ordered sternly, he'd come too far, he wasn't going to let his father mess it up now.

"But she needs me," he almost whined and this time Chris really did roll his eyes.

"Not as much as the rest of us do," he countered. "You need to stay here, even after to coordinate."

"Alright, then you should go. Otherwise, the girls won't understand." This was what he’d wanted anyway, the fact that Leo thought it was his idea was just a bonus.

"Good luck," on some level he knew he meant that but most of him just wanted to get away and leave Leo to his fate.

He hadn't expected Piper to be happy when he returned by himself but the fact that she almost seemed disgusted to see him instead of her husband was actually hurtful, " _You_? Where's Leo?"

"He's safe, for now," he said trying to placate her, while still planting the seed for later. Then he noticed the youngest, currently red-headed sister and couldn’t help himself. Paige had been his favorite aunt growing up. He could always count on her to be there, to help him out. She'd died to help him out, "Paige, hi."

It was definitely the friendliest greeting he'd given to any of them and all three were taken aback by it, "Hi?"

"Forget that," Piper said looking back and forth between them interested but also not deterred.

"What do you mean for now? What's going on?"

"And what is this about us supposedly battling the Titans?" Phoebe added and he wanted to laugh at them but settled for a smile instead. Oh, he remembered how much his mother and aunts used to gripe about all the costumes they were forced to wear over the years. He honestly couldn't wait to witness the legendary freak out.

"You're about to find out," he knew his barely contained glee was making them wary but he didn't care. His plan was working almost perfectly so far and after months of planning and years of suffering, he felt the universe could give him this little bit of enjoyment at least.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige asked just before he felt the pulse of power descending upon them and he shifted out of the way slightly for it.

It hit the three women and, with a bright flash, they stood before him dressed in different styles of chiton. They were briefly stunned and then the much talked about panic attacks began. He had to bite his tongue to hold back his laughter as Phoebe spun around in circles to look at her long flowing blonde hair and her sisters weren’t faring any better.

"That's what that means," he knew he had a large Cheshire cat grin on his face, but hey, could anyone who understood really blame him.

"What happened?" Paige asked looking from the pitch fork in her hand then to him. "What are we?"

"You're gods," he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world, finally containing himself and his 'wise man from the future' facade firmly in place. Even if a small part of him was still cackling in a corner of his mind. A part that was only encouraged by the dismayed look of disbelief Piper was giving him.

Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

* * *

**_Next Time: Chris deals with insubordination and broken promises, with varying degrees of success._ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: just wanted to say there is an actual show based canon reason why Leo became so distant and thoughtless in this story that I will get to in later chapters. Basically he didn’t just wake up one day and decide he didn’t care about his family anymore. There was a process and manipulation involved. Hint for it in next chapter, props to anyone who gets it before they’re told.


	6. Dereliction of Duty

"You expect us to beat the Titan's dressed like this?" Piper fanned out the skirt of her gown and glared at him, incredulity radiating off every part of her, "maybe at a costume party."

"That's not a costume," he walked down the line of the sisters to stand in front of her, feeling strange being the teacher again. He wondered if that feeling was ever going to go away. "That represents your new position and power."

"Power! Power's good, I like power," Paige interjected happily and then became confused, her god-self and mortal self not completely in sync yet. "Why do I like power?"

"Because you’re the Goddess of War," he said simply almost impressed that his father had pegged his aunt so well. She was always the witch with a plan, a kick ass potion, and she’d single-handedly defeated almost a hundred demons before her death. Yes, Paige Matthews was a force to be reckoned with.

She seemed delighted by this news, "Ah, well, I guess that explains the pitchfork."

"It's not a pitchfork it's a trident," he explained adding weight to his voice to get her attention. He was deeply worried by the hazy look in her eyes, he could actually see her drifting away into the new magic she'd been granted, "Be careful it's a formidable weapon."

"Rock on! Who wants to fight?" she asked still playing with what was essentially a loaded shotgun like it was a toy. He stepped out of her line of fire and bit the tip of his tongue.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter," Phoebe spoke up distracting him and giving him a strangely intense look while she played with her hair. He'd almost call it flirtatious but refused to because the very idea made his stomach roll.

"You're the Goddess of Love," he acknowledged and he was man enough to admit that it had been another good choice on his father's part. After all, love and relationships were how his aunt made her living. That and she was destined to marry a Cupid.

"Naturally," He glanced at Piper and she was standing in what Wyatt had once dubbed her 'difficult' pose. Also known as the stance she took when she wanted to be stubborn about something. According to his brother, it was a habit he'd inherited it from her, "Well then, that must make me the goddess of sanity because I find this ridiculous."

"Actually," he said slightly through his teeth because he was forced to agree with her as Paige continued to play with her trident and Phoebe twirled her hair thoughtlessly. "Leo gave you control over the earth and all its natural elements."

"Wait a minute, you’re saying Leo did this to us?" she looked offended on a basic level as he nodded.

"Chris," Phoebe said her voice sounding strangely airy. "You never told us. Do you have a girlfriend in the future?"

He stared at her for a split second, some part of what was left of his sanity-shattering completely as it screamed in his mind, and revulsion filled him. A nervous chuckle escaped his iron clad control and he turned away to continue talking, his voice off pitch, as he all but ran from his aunt while she pawed at his arms. "As you can see all of you have drives and urges based on your powers, don't let them distract you. Alright. Stay focused - focus on the Titans!"

"Hold it pal!" Piper stormed over to him, distracting her sister and he'd never been happier to be yelled at, "I don't know what kind of game you’re running here, but Leo is not in the god making business."

"How old are you, anyway," Phoebe interrupted again and that part in his mind screamed louder, then started to cry.

"The Elders forbid it," she continued like her sister hadn't said a word and he was eternally grateful, "and if anything, Leo is a company man."

"The Elders did forbid it," he agreed, latching onto an argument with her, it was better than either of the alternatives at the moment. "And guess what? They're dead. Leo's in charge up there and he's taken a huge risk that you three won't lost your humanity like the ancient Greee - Whoa!"

He yelled as he was lifted off the floor by something very sharp currently skewering the back of his jacket. Immediately, almost instinctively Piper reached out to help him, "You killed the Elders, you could have prevented it. I say we castrate him."

He made a sound he'd deny to his dying day was a squeak and stared at his favorite aunt terrified while protecting his lower regions with his hands. He knew her, she'd attempt to go through with that threat if not stopped. "A little, uh, control here ladies! Please!"

"Can't we figure out something else to cut off?" Phoebe asked almost breathlessly and with that disturbing question, he was done playing around. Quickly he orbed to the other side of the room and away from his currently deranged family.

"I told you," he snapped, "Stay focused! In my future all the Elders were killed, it's why I came back to help Leo give you the power so this would never have to happen again!"

"Hey guys watch this," Paige said excitedly like she hadn't heard a word he'd said before blowing up the living room piano. Well, at least now Wyatt could thank him for not having to endure the much-hated piano lessons he'd had as a child.

"Put that thing down," Piper admonished as she attempted to grab the weapon out of her sister’s hands, just missing it as Paige dodged away. "You could hurt someone!"

"I certainly hope so!” the giddiness in her voice wasn’t even the least bit comforting. “You know the kind of damage this thing could do!"

Chris felt actual fear as he looked back and forth between her and the broken instrument, "A lot!"

"Paige make love, not, you know. There's no door love can't open, no wall love can't climb, no hurdle love can't...hurdle." He stared at Phoebe, distantly thinking that he would have gone with the verb jump but that was just him.

"This is Leo's strategy!" Chris looked at Piper and now had to admit that all this suddenly seemed like a completely, and insanely, stupid idea. But how could he have known? He'd done this because it's what had happened before. This hadn't actually been his idea! "Well he must have lost it up there because these girls can't be seen in public much less-"

"Oh! That reminds me! I'm late for the bachelor auction! I'm going to pick up a guy or two...or twelve." Chris could only shake his head in dismay as his aunt clapped her hands and disappeared into a flurry of pink dust with what looked like a heart at the center. The magic reminded him of his uncle and cousin’s beaming abilities, only flashier. The thought of them instantly grounded him and he fruitlessly yelled her name as she faded away.

The other two women didn't notice his change in mood and Paige was the next to leave in a flurry of lightning, "That's a good idea, I'm going to get in some target practice with some demons, watch out Titans."

"I knew this was going to happen,” he muttered to himself as his mind listed all the ways this could and was going badly. He shook his head as he remembered this part of the story. He just hadn't realized how much his family had underplayed their reactions to the magic in the stories he’d heard. Dammit. He would have found another way if he’d known it was going to be this bad. Maybe he'd changed too much? Would he end up making his make believe future a reality? If he didn't fix this, the Titans would destroy the world as surely as his brother had and he couldn't let that happen. He knew he couldn’t destroy the Titans but he was reasonably sure he could seal them away again if it became absolutely necessary. Then he turned to Piper, "You gotta go after them."

"Oh no no no," she didn't look concerned at all and it grated on him."This was your big plan, you clean up the mess."

"No," he said dragging out the word out like he was talking to a child. Her obstinacy triggering an automatic response in his mind cultivated over years of running a war. Suddenly this woman wasn't his mother anymore. She was a subordinate who was going against a plan that was already falling apart. A plan that needed to work, "Your role is to provide balance, that's why you feel so grounded and in control."

"Wow, Chris, that was actually pretty good. You actually sounded like a whitelighter," she replied and everything from her tone to the tilt of her head was contemptuous, he flinched at the insult. "But I already have one, and if he would like me to do something he can come down and tell me himself. Do you hear that?!"

Chris looked up at the ceiling, wondering if his father was going to come running. For all that he liked to disparage the man he’d known, this version was a lot more family focused. Which was actually a bit of an issue truth be told. However nothing happened and he let out a breath he’d been holding, "You want Leo, hm, then vanquish the Titans. You can't do that? You're going to find out what a world of darkness feels like, my world."

He wasn't sure if it was his voice, his eyes, or his expression that finally got through to her, but something did. Because one second she was being stubborn and the next she was vanished into a brown flurry of dust and leaves to go find her sisters. He heaved a sigh and rubbed his face as he tried to decide what he was going to do next. He could run around helping his father collect the remaining Elders but the thought bored him. Plus, if he intervened the only thing he’d likely do was save an Elder who wasn’t meant to be saved. So he opted to do what any red-blooded twenty-two year old boy would upon returning home for the first time in nearly a decade. He raided the fridge. He was, after all, alive and in need of being fed regularly. Not that anyone would know it from his habits. Inside he found his mother's famous Chicken Cacciatore and heated it up with a dreamy smile. Not even bothering to put it on a plate as he ate it leaning against the sink counter.

“I see no one ever thought to teach you manners,” Chris paused and looked over at the hall leading into the dining room, a forkful of chicken inches from his mouth. In the doorway was a gnome with red hair and bright green eyes. He swallowed and shifted as she gazed at him like a wayward child in need of coaching.

“Uh...I was hungry?” he shrugged and took a defiant bite of chicken, which made the woman snort. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought everyone left to go play hide and seek with the Elders.”

She looked scandalized, “I’m taking care of the baby. How can you joke about what’s happened?”

“Ah,” he muttered ignoring her question as he finished inhaling his food then turned to wash the container out before putting it into the dishwasher. His mother had drilled into his head from an early age to never leave dirty dishes in the sink. The action was so natural and thoughtless that he didn’t realize what he revealed about himself with it. When he turned around he was taken aback at the look she was giving him but decided to ignore it, “Look, I’m just not going to get upset over something I can’t change…how is the little miracle child?”

“He’s fine, a little angel,” she tilted her head and looked at him with a level of scrutiny that worried him. “As his brother, I’m sure you knew that already.”

He stared at her with parted lips and wide eyes, panic starting to set in and he shook his head to clear it. He knew it was pointless to deflect after his reaction but he had to try anyway, “What are you talking about, I’m not his - look lady I’m not even from this time period. What the hell makes you think I’m related to these people?”

“It’s your aura. It’s so similar to his, you two must have been close in the future - something you don't want to be public knowledge,” she said carefully and before he could respond they were interrupted by the sound of his brother crying and he took a step forward before checking himself. He couldn't keep doing that! The insightful look she gave him made him want to hit his head on a wall. “Don’t worry, I’ve only noticed because I have the ability and spent so much time around him. I think I understand your position, though, I’ll keep quiet for now.”

Her reassurance given she disappeared down the hall in a blurred line and he was left blinking stupidly in the kitchen. Numbly he walked back to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water before sitting at the island to sip it, staring off into space. Given how closely he and his brother were bound through their magic, emotions, and destiny, he supposed it only made sense that they would have the similar auras. Old feelings of loss and helplessness rose up in him and he pinched the bridge of his nose willing the burning sensation in his eyes to dissipate. His shoulders sagged as memories assaulted him and he placed his head tiredly on the island. How was he going to do this? How was he going to interact with the people who were and weren’t the ones he knew and loved.

The answer was, of course, because he could, because he should, and because he must.

“No rest for the weary,” he muttered before finishing off the bottle just as he felt a surge of power from the area near the living room. At least one of the sisters was back. He gave into his self-pity and sighed miserably before standing and throwing the bottle in the recycling. He was on his way back when he felt two more surges, all three sisters were back. Back and hopefully ready to start working. Problem was, that wasn’t what he found.

"What the hell is this?! Goddesses gone wild?!” Chris cried as he walked into the living room. The look on his face as he surveyed the harem his aunt had created would have sent any of his people scurrying for cover, though his mother seemed less impressed. Lucky for his cover she had no idea what he was capable of, “I told you to keep them in line, what if the Titans attacked right now?!"

"Chris, I've got it, thank you," she snapped and he stepped back as she turned to the room and ordered everyone out. Her magic threw his aunts worshippers out into the hall and sent them running out into the street. Sure there was now a group of men dressed like sex slaves running out of their house but at least they weren’t being a distraction inside the house anymore.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," he cheered proudly as he clapped his hands.

"Time for a morality check,” Piper said after nodding at him, accepting the praise. Then she laid into both her sisters, “Leo did not give us this power so we could form armies or love cults. The ancient Greeks indulged their whims and look what they became."

Phoebe was eyeing him again draped across her divan seductively, not listening to a word of her sister's reprimand. That traumatized part of him started crying again as he felt a pulse of magic reach him. She was trying to magically seduce him and he snarled at her as the protection ward on the back of his skull burned. "Petty, evil, vindictive-"

"Thanks, I've got it. Now. Hi!" Piper said cutting off his tirade with one of her own, she even hit her sister with a pillow to get her attention. "Can you two get it under control?"

"Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader. Cassidus 100 AD” Paige declared seriously and her oldest sister stared at her.

"Love! Will keep us together, Captain & Tennille, 1970's," Phoebe countered with smug satisfaction and Chris laughed so he didn't cry. Were they really were having a quote off?

"Fascinating,” Piper said though she didn’t seem even the least bit interested, “now can we figure out a way to beat the Titans because I, for one, would like my family back. Soon"

A sound like bells rang through the air around them and because of his whitelighter blood he could understand the words meant by the tones. His father wanted to send the girls into the field and for him to check up on the surviving Elders. He supposed he could do that much, maybe throw up a few protections of his own just in case. He knew from his history that the Elders currently in hiding survived but his presence could have changed that. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Phoebe was the first to outwardly react to the sound, "Is that a jingle?"

"There are no Elders up there,” Paige was suspicious. “Who's jingling?"

Still staring at the ceiling he hummed thoughtfully before he glanced back at them, "It's Leo."

"Leo can jingle?" Piper snapped and he had the suspicion that she was starting to understand what was happening to her husband on some level.

"Yup,” he nodded his head with a shrug of indifference, “and he says an Elder is under attack, like it or not, it’s time to face the Titans."

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

“Chris!” Wyatt cried trying to sound indignant, something he failed spectacularly at as he dodged a stream of water from his brother’s gun. Chris just stuck his tongue out and the older boy decided to give chase. Around and around the backyard they ran, laughing as they jumped over plants and dodged around statuary and decorations. Their mother and the aunts laughing along with them, taking a break from setting up the tables they'd rented for the party.

“Wyatt. Chris. That’s enough,” Their mother said calmly after she’d frozen a glass lawn ornament they'd knocked over. Immediately both boys ceased their running but Chris was in such an energetic mood that he couldn’t help himself and playfully shoved his brother’s shoulder. Wyatt narrowed his eyes and returned the gesture. What ensued was a playful shoving match that quickly ended with them wrestling on the grass, “I said that’s enough!”

“Sorry mom, he started it!” Wyatt chirped quickly getting to his feet and standing before their mother. Chris just smiled up from the grass at the both of them, giggling. Nothing could get him down today, his father was going to come to his birthday party.

He’d promised.

“Phoebe I blame you. I know you've been sneaking him cookies,” his mother groused glaring at her little sister who just smiled brightly at all three of them. According to his aunt, it was her prerogative to spoil her nephews rotten because she had to be a ‘serious mom’ to her daughter P.J and newborn Parker. Not that it really stopped her from spoiling them either. Behind his mother, he could see Paige wink at him from where she was stringing balloons. She'd been sneaking him treats too. “Now that both of you are filthy, go upstairs and change before Chris’s friends get here.”

“I bet I can beat you!” Chris sing-song childishly as he turned and raced from the backyard heading for the stairs, intent on getting changed and back down before his brother “No magic Wy!”

The blonde boy faltered, looking at their mother but she just rolled her eye and shooed him off, so he took chase. Thanks to his hesitation Chris made it to the top of the stairs as Wyatt made it to the bottom and he was able to enter his room and slam the door shut before the other boy reached the top. Quickly he changed into new clean clothes that his mother had laid out on his bed for the party, then he took a look in the mirror and froze.

There, stuck between the mirror and the frame, was a familiar white envelope that sent his heart plummeting to his feet. Numbly, he moved forward and pulled it off before breaking the seal. Inside was a lengthy letter but he only got as far as ‘Hey buddy I’m sorry’ before he let it flutter to the floor and read no more. His father wouldn’t be attending his birthday party today. Even though he’d promised. He wasn’t coming. Again. This was the third time in a row he’d done this, yet he always seemed to come to things for other people, just not him.

His lip started quivering and tears moved slowly down his cheeks. Why didn’t his daddy love him? What had he done wrong that his daddy refused to make time for him? He always made time for mommy, the aunts, and Wyatt.

“Chris?” Wyatt asked as he opened the door slowly and entered the room. He’d felt his brother's pain and hurried to the room, worried. The younger boy didn’t even look up at him from staring at the white paper at his feet and his brother immediately knew the problem. “No-no he wouldn’t, he...”

Seven years ago Wyatt made a promise to himself as they hid in a closet that he'd always take care of his brother. He'd been scared of the bad 'good man' and his newborn brother had orbed to him so he wouldn’t have to be alone to fight his nightmares. Chris was his best friend, his little brother, his reason to be strong and unafraid. He was the only person that really understood him and the only one he knew would never leave him alone in the dark. So he would protect Chris in return even if it was only from their father’s thoughtlessness.

Chris turned glassy eyes to him and Wyatt wanted to cry with him. Quickly he moved to pull the distraught boy into a comforting hug and something in Chris snapped. His father didn’t love him but he did love the Golden Boy Wyatt. Everybody loved the Golden Boy Wyatt and nobody cared or had time for him. It wasn’t true of course and if he’d been rational he would have realized that but he wasn’t. He was a seven-year-old who’d just realized his dad really didn’t care about him while loving everyone else.

He pushed his brother away from him with an angry yell of denial and at the same time, he inadvertently released a blast of kinetic energy. It caused his bookcase as well as several random items around the room to slam into the floor and he orbed away from the manor before anyone could stop him.

He landed on a tall rock spire in the middle of the Grand Canyon, a place he’d traveled to and loved over the summer with his mother and brother. Here, in the middle of the canyon with no sounds or people, he found a serenity that was far away from his home and the memories there. He stamped his foot as he screamed into the windy void around him before collapsing to the ground crying. He didn’t know what he was going to do but he never wanted to go home again!  
He’d been alone for some time when he heard the tinkling sound of orbs behind him and knew that his brother had finally found him. He curled in on himself more. He didn’t want to talk to the Golden Boy.

“Chris! Finally! Are you ok? What are you doing? Mom’s really worried!” Chris didn’t say a word and he heard his brother walk closer to him, “Chris, hey Chris, come on, you ok?”

“What d'you care,” Chris finally sneered, his face still buried in his knees and his brother flinched back at the anger. “Go back home and be the one everybody loves. No one’ll miss me!”

The silence that greeted the command was heavy and he could feel the pain from his brother but lost in his anger, he didn't understand what the emotions meant. He didn't realize the knife that had just been lodged in the other boys’ heart or the deep-seated resentment he had just created for their father. This was his little brother, the person that was his. His to take care of and his to protect and now because of their father's carelessness, Chris thought he wasn't wanted or cared about at all. That he wouldn't be missed if he was gone. That Wyatt would be just fine without his biggest source of comfort and support.

“I’d miss you and I love you,” Chris tensed and raised his red and tear stained face to see his brother on his knees right next to him. There were tears in his bright blue eyes as well. “Mom, the aunts, grandpa, and our cousins love you and would miss you too. And even if they didn’t I would, you’re my little brother. I can always count on you, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Really,” He croaked and his brother didn’t say anything, he just pulled the younger boy into a tight hug and Chris let himself be held, crying his pain into the older boys shoulder. “Why doesn’t he love me, what did I do?”

“Nothin’,” his brother said rocking them both back and forth. “Daddy just doesn’t love anything anymore.”

“That’s not true,” Chris sniffled looking out at the canyon, still in the comforting safety of his brother’s arms. “He loves you and mommy.”

Wyatt snorted, as if it wasn't true, then an idea seemed to come to him and he pulled away to stand, “Come on, I wanna show you somethin'.”

The blonde stood and Chris let himself be pulled to his feet, then orbed back to the manor at the top of the stairs. Hesitantly and after a little gentle prodding, they descended to the first floor. At the bottom, they gave a wide berth to the few kids who had already shown up for his party and were playing in the backyard with their parents.

“Piper, you have to relax,” Phoebe’s voice carried from the kitchen where Chris could hear his mother banging pots. Wyatt continued to pull him forward, though he didn’t announce their presence.

“Relax? Relax Phoebe?! My baby's upset out there somewhere because that son of a bitch couldn’t come off his goddamn cloud for an hour!” Both brothers paused outside the door and Chris pulled away so that he could peek around the corner. He’d never heard his mother sound so angry. Anger that was completely directed at the father she tried to convince him time and again actually did love him.

“You really expected anything less from him?” That was Paige and he could see her from his angle sitting at the kitchen table, she looked disgusted.

Chris was floored.

His mother and aunts had always seemed so supportive and loving toward his father but now he realized that it had all been an act. They were just as angry as he was, on his behalf no less. “How many times is it going to take before you realize they've got him? Leo doesn’t give a damn about anything other than what the Council tells him to. Honestly, it’s the only reason I think he gives a shit about Wyatt anymore.”

His brother shifted behind him and he felt tension through the bond between them. It wasn’t until that moment, looking up and seeing the older boy glaring at the wall, that he realized how much all this hurt him. Chris threw his arms tightly around the blonde. His brother was showing him what was really going on with their family at the cost of his own feelings and Chris projected all his love and thankfulness to him for it.

Wyatt smiled sadly, hugging him back, “He’s their father Paige. They need a father.”

“No, what they need is a good male role model,” Phoebe replied her voice serious. “And that’s something Leo hasn’t been since Gideon made him an Elder.”

“Phoebe!” He could tell his mother was trying to sound offended on his father’s behalf but her heart wasn’t in it.

“Don’t Phoebe me!” his aunt snapped back. “I’ve been quiet long enough while Leo plays his little games at the expense of my sister and nephews. I’m tired of it!”

“He’s not playing games,” his mother said, but she sounds weak on that point. “He’s not trying to deliberately hurt them he’s just…”

“Fine,” Paige said speaking up again, he could see the impatience on her face. “If it helps you to believe it’s not deliberate, then fine. Who knows, maybe it isn’t, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is hurting them.”

“Chris was so happy earlier,” Phoebe said gently. “Now…all because Leo made him another promise he probably never intended to keep.”

“What do you want from me?” his mother asked the room, “You want me to tell him he can’t see them anymore? You want me to cut him off? Honestly, at this point, I’d love to! But I can’t because they would never allow it, at least not with Wyatt. Then how’s Chris gonna feel?!”

“Then be honest with him, Piper,” Paige said after they were silent and the threat of the Elders had hung over them for several seconds. “Tell him what’s really going on. Don’t make up a fairytale that’s just going to break his heart.”

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The Elders were prick-ish as always and he spent more time explaining who he was and why he was there than he actually did putting his wards up, hidden in different corners. It was only Darius, one of the few Elders he could ever remember being decent to him, that actually engaged with him civilly. He asked pointed questions and Chris had given evasive answers. In the end, the man seemed not completely happy but satisfied. He was also the only one who bothered to watch, as Chris protected them all in a second layer of defenses. They were the simplest seals Chris had ever created and in his time Wyatt had long since worked a way around them. However, to Darius they were new and he was awed by them. For a moment he almost wanted to admit he’d designed them. To bask in the praise of someone as well versed in magic as an Elder but common sense stopped him. Memorization wasn’t a unique skill, however, being able to puzzle piece something like this together, well, that was entirely different. If the Elders knew he had the innate skill for it, they’d very likely use and abuse the new version of himself he was trying to make. He wasn’t doing all of this so that both his brother and he could become their tools, he was trying to prevent that.

Finally, he was satisfied with the level of security and left just as he felt the surge of power that brought the sisters and another Elder into the safe haven. He definitely didn’t want to be home for the inquisition he knew was about to come so he landed himself onto the top of the Golden Gate Bridge again, it was as good a resting place as any and his coat made a decent pillow. Then he made sure to set the timer on his watch for half an hour before settling in for a nap. The breeze this high up and the buzzing white noise from the passing cars lulling him into a trance-like doze. It wasn't really sleeping, something he needed, but it was enough to recharge so that when his watch beeped he could stand and orb back to the manor.

"Leo!" Phoebe exclaimed when he arrived and then looked crestfallen when she realized it was him.

"Oh, it's just you," Paige muttered and he winced before he could stop himself.

"Hello to you too," he said defensively flopping onto the couch beside Phoebe. His magic was still drained from warding and his emotions were drained in general. This really needed to end before he collapsed and didn’t move again for days. "So the Elders are all taken care of, where's Piper?"

"She's upstairs with the baby," Phoebe looked at him and he could see she was nervous, "Um, could you bring us, Leo?"

"He's busy," he said gently but firmly, rubbing dry and scratchy eyes, "how's it going here?"

"No so good,” Paige pouted sinking back into her seat with her arms folded. She looked like a child, “I keep trying to come up with a plan to defeat the Titans but every battle simulation ends the same way."

"With our death," Phoebe cut in and he rubbed his forehead, nodding tiredly, a headache starting to form behind his eyes. He was decent at coming up with large scale combat strategy but Kara or James had always been the best when he got stuck. He knew he’d always relied heavily on his council, he just never realized how much until now.

"We could really use Leo now," Paige said watching his display of exhaustion and momentary weakness with the calculating eyes of a strategist. It was a look he'd worn himself over the years.

"I'm starting to get that impression," the words were said caustically and Paige flinched back slightly at the venom in them.

Phoebe, in her flighty state, didn’t realize he was at his breaking point, "Could you bring him back?"

"For the last time. No!" He yelled jumping to his feet so he could loom over them. He was angry, these were not the self-sufficient women he'd grown up with. "What is wrong with you two? Huh? You're acting hopeless!"

"I dunno, I guess I always feel like this right before a big battle and then Leo comes down and I don't know how he does it but he makes me feel like I have the power to do anything." He stared dumbstruck at his aunt turned love goddess. He'd heard stories of course about how his father used to be from various sources before being an Elder corrupted him. He'd always just assumed it was whitewashing, that becoming an Elder of all things couldn’t change someone so much.

"Really, it's different for me. It's like I forget that I have any training and I can’t concentrate. He helps me focus and calm down," the sisters shared a look and he felt like an outsider as they talked about a person he'd never had the privilege of meeting. "You know I'm starting to think we take Leo for granted, are you sure you can't get him?"

He scoffed in utter disgust at what should be a heartwarming display but it was sickening to see this, "Leo! Leo is up there and he's to stay up there until - you know what. I'm not going to go over this again. What can I do to get you two over the hump here?"

What followed was a back and forth between the two that made him realize how utterly dependent they were. Intentionally or not his father had conditioned them over the years to equate success with his speeches and that was detrimental to everyone present. It was surreal to him because by the time he could remember family politics the sisters had merely tolerated Leo's presence. Sure they'd been cordial to him but there'd always been an underlying tension. A rift, originally stemming from his neglect of the family after he'd become an Elder when Piper was pregnant with him. One that had turned into outright hostility after his mother’s death as their father progressively became a non-factor in the lives of his grieving children.

"You really are helpless without him?" he didn't even know why he bothered saying it but it was just so shocking to him. The sisters just looked down and away so he threw up his hands and went to find his mother. She'd always been the one most in control. If anyone could shake the aunts out of their funk it’d be her. "I need help."

He regretted walking into the room the second he entered it as his eyes locked with the infant version of his brother and their bond exploded back to life in his mind. His personal protections and time travel had worn the connection with his version to a spider web thin presence. It was only years of self-discipline that kept him on his feet when it returned in force. It was almost frightening to realize how desperate his subconscious and magic had been for the connection, even if it wasn’t completely right. The magic trying to thrum between them also calmed a large part of his anxiety. That frightened him.

It was only the protection seal tattooed on the back of his head that stopped the full connection from being made, a good thing all told. Not that it made the moment any less poignant and he watched his brother grow fussier in his mother’s arms as he tried to get a better look at him. He was only a couple months old, so Chris wasn't that worried yet. However, he knew the older he got the more incessant Wyatt would become about the incomplete magic. His brother had always been highly intuitive and very stubborn, he needed to do his work quickly and get out before that happened.

"Ah, excuse me, this is my bedroom, you can't just walk in here anytime you want to," Piper groused, she sounded annoyed though there was a gentleness in her voice that he assumed was for the benefit of the baby more than him.

"Yeah, I know,” he said dismissively, he’d played in this room as a child, slept in that bed when he’d had nightmares. “But your sisters need you. I got them working on the Titans but I don't know how long that's gonna last."

"I thought you needed me?" she asked as she placed his brother in his cradle, the infant still trying to move so he could get a better look at him.

"I did, I mean, I do," he tripped over his words, as they ripped at the hole in his heart where her memory had always been. "I need you because they need you. Actually, they need Leo - look would you please just go deal with them?"

"What's the matter, Chris the all-knowing running out of answers?" he could feel the baby test the ward again and he paced the width of her room trying to work off some of the tension in his body. This version of his brother’s mind was as stable as he ever remembered it feeling in his earliest memories. It was the mind of the sane brother he missed desperately.

"Yes! Yes, I am if that will motivate you. Yes, I'm losing control!" he snapped knowing it was in more ways than one. "I'm watching history repeat itself and no one's willing to do a damn thing about it."

"I feel your frustration," she said flippantly and he tried to calm himself down before he sent something flying. It was becoming easier and easier to separate the sisters in this time from the ones who'd raised him. They were the same core people to be sure but they were just so immature that it was a wonder to behold.

"Piper, if it helps, I get it. I do, really, you need Leo," he meant that sincerely. He understood the pain of losing the people you desperately needed to get through the day, better than she did. It was something he desperately hoped she never experienced. He'd needed Wyatt but his brother had burned that bridge to the ground along with their family. Yet, he'd picked himself up and soldiered on because that's what needed to be done. Sure, he’d crashed when everything fell apart but he’d also been fifteen and in shock. The way the sisters were…stalling because his father wasn't here to be a cheerleader was childish, and he was finding it next to impossible to contain his disgust with them. "Your sisters need Leo but if you can't stop-"

"You forgot about the baby," she cut him off and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "The baby needs his father too."

"Fine," he said back just as snippy, remembering all the broken promises and pain Leo had caused over the years. The way he’d pushed Wyatt's training and him aside. If he was being honest he wondered if they wouldn't have been better off without their father completely. "But there’s a bigger picture here-”

"There is no bigger picture than my family," she said cutting him off again and her voice was unmoving on that point. In his mind's eye, he could see cities burning as billions died and he knew she'd never been more wrong about anything in her life.

"Well then pay attention,” he said his voice cold and he could hear his brother start to fuss in the crib. He could feel the infant projecting his confusion and worry because of the voices around him. On top of not understanding the bond between him and the stranger or why he wasn’t able to feel anything from Chris. “The world I grew up in, families hardly existed. I never had a chance to know mine."

That was, of course, a lie, but not one far from the truth. He’d told them he was from around twenty years in the future. What, did she think her family was somehow exempt from the hell to come? Was she really that self-centered and narrow-minded in this time? He’d said the statement to garner sympathy but it instead got him more derision. "Not my fault,"

"Not yet,” he snarled the words to hurt her like she was hurting him and they found a mark.

"Is that what this is about?” She seemed stunned at the idea, as if she could possibly not be responsible for the future he depicted when she stood there refusing to stop it. “You blame us for what happened to you?"

"I just want you to get it right this time,” the fight bled out of him, what was wrong with these people? Couldn’t they see he was trying to save them? “Use your power of three, use your power as gods, save the world from going to hell."

"If that's what you want then I'll say it one more time. We. Need. Leo. Now excuse me, I have to go warm up a bottle." She brushed by him, brushed off his warning and he’d never been more disappointed in anyone in his life. Not even Wyatt had let him down like this. Something had happened to his brother and he'd genuinely lost his mind. He sincerely believed what he was doing was right, that the atrocities he committed were necessary to build his 'better world'. His brother was a sick, broken, and insane man. His mother, on the other hand, was just being selfish.

He glared at her retreating back as she left the room and turned to look at his older brother in his cradle. Instantly the infant raised his shield and he could see the too intelligent eyes watching him with wary interest. He could feel the barely formed but still impressively powerful mind probing a third time at the wall between them. It kind of tickled in a way and made him chuckle. For a moment he considered lowering his wards and just letting the little boy connect with him but then thought better of it. He didn’t want Wyatt becoming too attached to him, especially not this version, and that’s what would happen. If the baby realized who he was to him, he'd never get rid of the kid.

No, he needed to do this without that magical short cut, "Don't worry. You'll come to trust me in time. They all will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: No matter how hard you try or how much you pretend, reality always sets in eventually.


	7. Strategic Thinking

As he walked away from his brother, Chris tried to come up with his next move and couldn’t think of anything. There was just nothing he could do to convince the sisters that they could beat the Titans. They were too dependent on his father and they didn’t know him enough to trust his judgment or accept his encouragements. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the air to release the tension building in his shoulders, he knew what he had to do. Not giving himself time to think better of it, he orbed up to the ruined hall and paused, looking at the backs of the two Titans the sisters had been sent after earlier.   

"What are you doing? You're going to expose us!" Leo whispered harshly as he pulled him behind a pillar and out of sight. He shrugged off the man’s touch and gave him a quelling look.

"Shh, that's the idea," he said pushing past him and leaning out slightly as the two men across from him discussed how they’d felt someone enter the area. Then he stepped out completely and whistled at them before ducking behind the column again to dodge the stream of fire aimed at his head. It wasn’t that strong of an attack and Kronos was definitely out of practice. He’d played hide and magical seek with beings far better at the game than the two overblown men before him, this might actually turn out to be fun. He shoved Leo slightly, "Hurry, go, Piper needs you."

Once his father was gone Chris stepped out and gave the gods a cocky smile, taunting them into following him, before disappearing himself. He landed in a field and immediately went to work rubbing symbols off his forearm only to draw a new set with the marker he always kept in his pocket. They would change the protections around him and allow him to throw off false trails while leaving his actual trail safe. He’d just finished when the two men came thundering onto the other side of the clearing and he orbed again landing on top of a skyscraper in downtown New York. There he pulled out one of the many blades hidden on his person and pricked his finger, drawing a line of blood down the line of symbols to activate them. Then he moved again to stand on top of the Golden Gate Bridge where he could concentrate. It didn't take long to say the spell that sent the phantoms of his essence to several places around the world. He even sent one to his mother's club in the city before him.     

"Chris where ever you are you get your ass over here!" His eyes snapped open as the enraged voice echoed through his mind. He'd forgotten to add the symbols that would block the mental contact he had with his family again and he swore. He refused to go down there and subject himself to this Piper’s tender mercy's, it was too risky.

"It's ok Chris." Leo’s voice followed quickly and he realized as an Elder Leo could summon him if he didn't comply.

"This better be an emergency,” he snapped as soon as he solidified, not giving the newly created Elder a chance to notice the difference in the magical fields around him. “You're going to lead the Titans straight to us."

"What's happening to my husband?" Piper growled, her arms folded and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as an oppressive energy filled the room. Even Wyatt fussed in his crib, worried about the danger thickening the air.

"Something amazing," he replied as he tried his best to sound calm and serene, to sell the situation like it was actually a good thing.

"You know what, cut the crap.” She said stalking around the bed toward him and he moved back a step which seemed to calm her. The unintentional display of submission cooling her godly anger for the moment. “You knew the Elders were going to die, you coached Leo up there, you knew all of this was going to happen!"

"Did you?" His father asked suspiciously and Chris realized he was putting the pieces together. His father could be an intelligent man when he wanted to be. Namely when it wasn't helpful in the least.

Chris knew he couldn’t win on defense, not with the parental tag team, so offense it was. It was something he’d never get away with if they knew who he was. "You're not serious?"

"Whatever it is you think you’re doing,” Piper said seriously and he could see that she was having difficulty controlling her emotions “you need to make it stop."

"Piper, nobody chose this, it chose Leo.” He replied he wasn’t going to let this version of her dictate anything to him. This version couldn’t see past herself and he didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with that. “What he did up there for all of us was nothing short of a miracle. Now he's receiving the ultimate reward. A chance to become an El-"

"Don't you dare say it!" She screeched and it was hard to breathe past the pressure suddenly on his chest.

He gulped but didn’t stop, his father watching him with assessing eyes. "The world needs sources of good to watch over it. Do you know a source of pure goodness better than Leo?"

“Leo is not - he's not an Elder,” Piper laughed at him and he knew that voice. His mother was switching from anger to denial. It was a state she lived in during the early years of his childhood before finally admitting what he'd already known. That his father was a bastard who just didn’t care. He just hoped she didn’t stay there for long now, he didn’t have that kind of time, “because Elders don't live on Earth, they don't have families. Just tell him you're not an Elder!"

"I don't know that I can," Leo admitted softly, looking at the bed spread instead of his wife.

"I think you should get back to your sisters," Chris interjected, hoping to subvert the fight he could see brewing in his mother’s eyes. They really didn’t have time for this, not now. If she wanted to panic about the situation she could do it after the immediate threat was dealt with.

"No, not until you tell him," she hissed, her eyes almost glowing and the look in them more dangerous.

"They’re waiting for you," he tried again and Leo glanced at him, the older man knew what he was trying to do and agreed.

"Chris is right,” Leo said, backing him up with a long look, “You need to get back to Paige and Phoebe."

"No!" Piper snapped, breathing hard, "Not until you say it!"

Chris shook his head, "the Titans are going to be here any moment!"

"I said NO!" She actually bellowed, her voice echoing around them. In a quick motion she threw out her arm and he felt the pulse a millisecond before it hit him square in the chest, sending him off his feet and into something that broke behind him.

He was out before he hit the floor.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_The day of his fifteenth birthday dawned bright and clear, a perfect day, and Chris glared out from under his comforter at it. It was bad enough that today was the one year anniversary and that he was expected to smile for the family because it was also his birthday. That he’d gotten little to no sleep last night didn't help either. But now the weather had the audacity to be sunny as well. He growled deeply in his throat as he kicked off the covers and got out of bed before heading down into the manors sitting room. He knew his brother wouldn’t be up for a little while yet and he took this opportunity to sit on the couch armrest. He'd avoided this spot for a year and now he'd glared at it thinking._

_Was this what the angel had meant when she said things had been falling apart?_

_Was his mother’s death something that wasn’t supposed to happen? It would make sense as it was the only thing he could think of that **had** happened. The way everything had fallen out afterward gave, even more, credence to the idea. How Wyatt had thrown himself into his powers and protecting him, how his father had gone from never around to non-existent, and the way the fight had gone out of his aunts. His family had virtually fallen apart after its matriarch's death. He, himself, had just started to recover and now he had to deal with prophecies of future gloom and doom._

_“Chris?” he jumped when his brother spoke up behind him but refused to look away from the front parlor floor. “What are you doing?”_

_Chris glanced at the older boy this time as he walked around the couch to stand in front of him, blocking the offending floor from view. “Nothing, just thinking.”_

_“Mmhmm,” Wyatt said, his tone flat and his eyebrow rose when Chris just narrowed his eyes,_

_“Look, you know I’d just **love** to let you sit and sulk but we’ve got places to be. Get upstairs and put on clothes you don’t care about.”_

_Chris stuttered, confused by his brother’s sudden 'go get ‘em attitude. Wyatt took his surprise as stubbornness and grabbed his shoulder to orb them up to his room, “what the hell Wy?!”_

_“We’re already late Chris, I let you sleep in because I know you had a bad night.” the blonde said before heading to his brothers closet and pulling out an old white tee-shirt and, after some searching, a pair of  wrecked cargos he’d gotten white paint on helping Paige with her deck. Then he threw them at Chris's bewildered head, “Get dressed.”_

_The brunette stood gaping like a fish as his brother stormed out of the room and then snorted indignantly as he started to get dressed. It was clear that whatever was going on, Wyatt was on a mission and he knew better than to fight his brother on a mission. Even so, he liked to be ordered around about as much as the older boy. “Alright, I’m dressed, now what oh great and powerful Lord Wyatt?”_

_Wyatt smirked and his eyes twinkled, “Lord Wyatt? Oh, I like that. Are you finally learning to address me with some respect, little brother?”_

_“Yeah, you wish,” Chris laughed and looked away, missing the way his brother’s brow furrowed. “So what’s happening? Why am I wearing work clothes?”_

_Wyatt just smiled brightly before grabbing his arm and orbing them away as he yelled again, indignant at being hauled around like a ragdoll. So much so that when they landed he shook off the older boy and glared. The reaction only made his brother laugh as he walked away toward a large log cabin-like building across from an empty dirt parking lot. The view surprised him and he actually took a moment to look around. Only to find himself in the middle of a high elevation pine forest with distant snow capped mountains just visible over the tree line. Thoroughly confused he ran after Wyatt who’d just walked inside and was almost bowled over by his best, non-related, friend Brandon._  

_“Happy Birthday!” the boy yelled, his sandy blonde hair falling into bright blue eyes as he grabbed Chris and towed him into a large lobby looking room. It was full of his and Wyatt’s friends from magic school and even a few mortal friends they’d divulged their secret too. They were all happy to see him and everyone had well wishes. “Now that you’re here, get outfitted and we can finally start!”_

_“Outfitted? What are you talking about, what’s going on,” he asked looking for his brother in the throng of excited boys._

_“What’s going on Chris,” his brother said as he walked forward tightening familiar black and gray body armor around his chest, “Is that, with the help of the aunts, I bought out the best paintball battleground in the country for the day. So now it’s your friends versus mine, best out of three, who’s the better general. You game?”_

_It took a shocked minute but the answering smile that crossed his face could have put the sun to shame. He agreed to those terms and without future prompting stumbled over himself to get to the supply closet with teasing laughter following him. He didn't pay much attention to the gear he chose and was back in moments fully armored up as his brother began to pass out team radios and let people pick their guns._

_The basics done, everyone headed out into the woods behind the cabin and the paint was divided between them. For the three rounds Chris’s team had red, orange, and yellow and Wyatt's had purple, blue, and green. Then they’d flipped a coin to see which side each team started on and finally decided that magic was usable, as long as it didn’t interfere with 'good' shots. Namely that Chris and Wyatt weren't allowed to telekinetically move bullets._

_“Good luck, you're gonna need it!" Wyatt yelled as he jogged backward to follow his team to their corner._

_“I don’t care if you’re the next King Arthur Wy, you ain’t got nothin’ on me!” Chris shouted back, ever defiant. His team watched the sibling rivalry with amusement and he gave each a high five.“Alright guys, let's destroy 'em.”_

_There were several things that Wyatt hadn’t accounted for when he’d decided to set up this present for his brother. The first being that Chris and his friends were already a paintballing team that had competed at least once every two weeks for over three years now. Brandon had become obsessed with it after spending a summer with his older cousin at the age of eleven and had spread that addiction to his friends. That meant by default Chris’s team had the advantage of knowing the guns and Chris had the advantage of knowing his team’s strengths and weaknesses. The second was that Chris knew his brother. Wyatt’s basic idea of attack strategy was to hit things with a hammer. If that didn’t work he’d try to sneak behind his target and hit it with the hammer again. That wasn’t to say his brother was bad at the finer points of strategy, in fact he could be terrifyingly efficient and duplicitous when given the time to plan an attack. However when he was ambushed, which Chris had every intention of doing, he tended to be a lot less refined or coordinated. The end result was that the first round went to Chris and his boys._

_“And that’s how it’s done!” Chris laughed as he smacked his stunned brother on the back while he passed him not twenty minutes into the fun._

_“Where the hell did you learn to do that?!” Wyatt asked grabbing his arm and towing the younger boy back. Chris rolled his eyes and missed the calculating look in Wyatt’s, aggravated by the perceived drama on his brothers part._

_“What? How to flank or how to use my opponent’s weaknesses against them?” Chris asked, his voice taunting. Then he snorted, “Come on, I **was** paying attention to all those late night strategy sessions you gave me, oh great teacher. Plus, we do this all the time! My teams a well oiled machine. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that to win against us! Now, **big** **brother**. Let’s see if you can get this round before it’s a shutout.”_

_After issuing his challenge, he shook off his brother and raced to catch up to his team and Wyatt watched him go with a carefully blank face. The second round turned out to be a completely different animal from the first, not that Chris had expected any less. Wyatt knew now that he wasn’t to be taken lightly. It was for that very reason he was two men down and deep in enemy territory hunting for the blonde who he knew was in the back issuing orders. If he could get his brother then Wyatt’s forces would be directionless. While if the reverse was true, Brandon could more than fill in for him. It took a good ten minutes of sneaking and ducking before he finally found his brother's hiding spot._

_“…yes but can you see Chris anywhere?” Wyatt asked folding his arms as he glared at a nearby rock. “If we get him…what the hell are you doing here?”_

_Chris who’d been adjusting the setting on his gun glanced up only to see his father standing beside his brother. He’d been so focused on his task, he’d missed the tinkling sound that announced his presence. “Really Wyatt? Is that any way to talk to your father?”_

_Wyatt's eyes narrowed, “Only when he’s supposed to be at aunt Paige's house setting up for the party. It **is** your son’s birthday.”_

_Leo sighed, looking very put upon and Chris scowled at him from his hiding spot, “I was there, but then I got a call. **They** need to see you.”_

_Chris's stomach dropped to his feet and he watched his brothers face morph from surprised to enraged, “You're kidding?! Now?! Don’t they know what today is, what it means?!”_

_“Yes,” Leo looked slightly unhappy himself but really only slightly. “but this is important. Come on, the quicker we do this the quicker we’ll be back.”_

_“No,” Wyatt sneered and Chris could see his brother was going to be difficult. “Fuck’em. I’m not leaving today and they can just fucking deal with it. I can’t believe **you’re** actually going along with this! No wait, never mind, yes I can.”_

_“Wyatt,” his father admonished and Chris looked away, fighting the tears that wanted to fall. Of course, his father wouldn’t fight the hallowed Elders so he could have one day, of course not. “I know you're upset but-”_

_“Upset? Upset?!” Wyatt snarled glaring at his father, who furrowed his brows with concern at the level of anger being displayed. “It’s one fucking day, **dad**. One day out of three hundred and sixty-five and you can’t even give him that! He needs this! Why do you always care more about them then you do - the fuck!”_

_Chris had heard enough and he didn’t want to watch his brother and father fight about him. This was supposed to be a fun day and he knew if the blonde kept making a scene it was going to end up being anything but. So he’d lined up his shot and took it. His brother was still staring down at the red mark on his chest when he came out of the bushes. The gaze he leveled the both of them was patient and the wall between Wyatt's mind and his still firmly in place. He'd put it up to keep the previous war games fair and that it was still in place told his brother more than he intended._

_“Chris…” both said at the same time. His brother concerned about his emotional state and his father realizing that he must have heard them arguing._

_Chris held up his hand to stop them._

_“I came here to knock him out,” he said, pointing at his brother before sliding down the small embankment he’d been stationed on to get closer. Once at the bottom he rested his gun against his shoulder and eyed them both. “His team won't last five minutes without him. Then it's break time which means you have a good forty minutes to an hour to get up there and come back. We can play the last round for fun when you get back because my leadership skills rule yours ... Wy you know they’ll take you and keep you if you don’t.”_

_Wyatt looked him, eyes full of regret, and turned to look at their father flatly, “Fine, we'll be back in forty minutes. Here, take my gun to the cabin will you?”_

_“Sure,” he said taking the gun and then enduring the awkward hug and 'Happy Birthday' from his father. But the mask fell as soon as they were gone and his shoulders sagged as he looked at the empty clearing around him. He knew better than to trust the Elders in something like this, very likely his brother would be gone until tomorrow. His desire to play now gone he levitated his brothers gun and shot himself in the chest with it._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

It was the throbbing of his head and upper back that brought him back to the land of the living. He remembered feeling something similar after being thrown into a wall during his last fight with Wyatt and groaned. That one had been bad, he’d almost been killed in fact. With another heavy groan, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked around his mother’s empty room. Slowly, the memories realigned themselves in his head and he angled back enough to see the broken door behind him. She’d thrown him into a wall and knocked him unconscious.

He knew he should be hurt by that but he wasn’t because he understood. In fact, the only reason he was annoyed at all was because he knew he was going to be sore for a few days as a result. Still moving slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and stood there rubbing his shoulder for a minute trying to decide what to do next. They’d left, without Leo healing him, kind of him really, and he wasn’t quite sure where they’d all run off _to_. It took effort to concentrate past the base line playing on his brain but he could sense his father and his aunts downstairs. But not his mother.

Intrigued, he started to walk out of the room but stopped and turned around to look for painkillers in the bathroom. His head and body were going to only get worse the longer he was awake and he didn't have anything else for it at the moment. The now broken door only gave him a little difficulty and he bee lined it for the medicine cabinet where he grabbed and downed three Advil. It was standing in the dark and silent bathroom that he noticed the sounds of rain and the flashing of lightening outside. A frown creased his forehead as he glanced out the window, the storm was bad and something about it was making the hairs on his body rise. He scowled out the window. Whatever it was that was bothering him could wait in line. He had enough on his plate already.  

“If she knew who you were she never would have done that,” he turned and found a familiar gnome watching him from the doorway before she moved to check on his brother.

“If she knew who I was then I’d have failed in my mission,” He replied stressing the words so that she’d understand the severity of his secret. “I have bigger things to deal with than family drama.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she looked at the broken door then back to him. “What a world the future must be if a child can brush off such an attack from its mother. I hope to never see that world.”

“I hope you never have to see it either,” he muttered walking out of the room. He didn’t remember the little gnome in his time, which most likely meant that she’d died in the initial days of his brother’s rule. There was a chance she’d hidden and come later when the number of people seeking asylum from him had become so great he couldn’t keep track. It was something he doubted. Most of those people had been human and it was rare for someone of magical origin to have lasted past that first year without being sworn to his brother.

His mind still spinning a bit from the blow, he walked carefully down the stairs and headed into the front parlor. He paused in the archway to watch as his father sucked the goddess energy out of Phoebe with an urn. She breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to give Paige room to come forward when she saw him. “There you are, Chris! Where have you been? Piper just killed the Titans all on her own and then disappeared. We have to find her!”

He blinked stupidly at her still rubbing his sore shoulder, “Piper threw me into a wall and knocked me out.”

“Ah, well, then you already know the Piper’s lost it part. Are you ok?” Phoebe asked with a wince, as she sat down on the couch and picked up the scrying crystal. He rubbed his temple and then decided standing wasn’t helping him any and tenderly took a seat across from her in a chair.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and there's a conga line in my head but other than that I’m great,” he griped leaning forward and resting on his knees so he wouldn’t put pressure on his injuries. Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at her brother-in-law who was draining the magic out of her sister. He could tell that she was wondering why he hadn’t healed their future friend.   

“How do you feel,” Leo asked the now de-goddess-fied redhead, ignoring Phoebe’s questioning gaze.

"Free," Paige gasped sounding relieved to be free of her magical burden. He smiled. Only the sisters would be happy to _lose_ ultimate power. "Anything on Piper?"

"Nope. I still can't get a read.” Phoebe slumped back on the couch and glared at the map. He could tell this was something they’d been trying for a while, both with and without their god powers.

"Just keep trying," he said softly, feeling guilty again. His mother’s actions were in large part due to the things he’d set into motion. He’d taken her husband from her and left her with a three-month-old baby to take care of by herself. Of course, she was going to react badly. Doubly so with the powers of the goddess of hearth and home flowing through her.

"Look, even if we do find her, how are we going to get her back?” Paige asked sitting down next to her sister looking just as dejected as Phoebe. “She's on this major power trip, she destroyed the Titans. Not even the Greek Gods could do that."

"We just gotta hope she has some humanity still left inside," he muttered, briefly wondering if he’d unintentionally just substituted one angry god-like entity for another. This time twenty years early. He quickly dismissed the thought, his mother would never do something like that. She might take her anger out on the object of it or some demons but she’d never take it out on the innocents of the world.

"If anyone could come back from this it's Piper,” Leo said in a familiar serene tone Chris had come to despise as a child. It was the tone of someone above it all, someone who didn’t care. “I've gotta go now, if you need me, Chris knows how to get in touch."

Phoebe looked back and forth between them rapidly and he narrowed his eyes at the older man. He wasn’t going to leave him alone to explain all this, was he? "Where are you going?"

"The Elders have returned to the Heavens and they’re calling me," he said and orbed away without offering a better explanation.  

"Did he just bail on us?” Phoebe asked, dumbstruck and her sister looked equally as confused. “Is that what he did?"

"Uh, what about, you know, helping us find his wife?" Paige asked horrified at what Leo had just done.

"He's trusting in you to do that,” he said, trying to suppress his anger and doing what Leo should have. For all that people claimed he was different in this time, he really wasn’t. He just hid it better. Apparently becoming an Elder really had just dialed all his worst traits up to eleven. It was ironic if you really thought about it. In an effort to distract them he outlined a possible end to all of this that would scare them into dealing with the issue at hand. “You need to find Piper and talk her down before she sets up shop somewhere and throws the world into chaos. Then it will be too late for her."

"Ok, maybe you missed the part about Piper being Leo's wife," Phoebe replied with narrowed eyes and a voice like ice.

"Look, you have to understand things have changed,” he watched them trying to gage their reaction. “The Elders need Leo up there to help restore order."

Paige slammed her hand onto the couch's armrest and stood so that she loomed over him, "Cut to the chase, future man, is this about Leo being turned into an Elder or what?"

This was about so much more than that but he bit his tongue. This was supposed to be a surgical strike, a quick in and out of time meant to save the future. He needed to be a whitelighter and to a whitelighter becoming an Elder was the highest of achievements. He needed to sound positive about something he knew wasn’t and that made his smile unintentionally forced, "He's on the path."

"Ok, don't give us that creepy pod people smile. Ok. In your world being an Elder may be cool but in our world it pretty much sucks." Phoebe groused and he bit his tongue so hard it bled.

"Leo is our brother-in-law."

"And our Whitelighter," Paige said agreeing with her sister.

Phoebe nodded and added, "and our friend."

"And we don't want to lose him," Paige finished and he recognized an aunt tag team attack when he saw one.

"So listen, you go up there and tell Le-" whatever command Phoebe had been about to give was cut off by a branch breaking through a window. The hole left behind let the sounds of the storm inside and it got his attention. It was noticeably worse than it had been when he was upstairs and he stared out the window, that feeling of wrongness increasing. Had his mother not killed all the Titans? Was that what was going on, "What is going on with this storm?"

"Piper,” Paige whispered after a moment and he whipped his head back to look at her. The move was too quick for his still addled brain and it created a double image of the woman in front of him. “Piper's what's up with the storm"

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked and his heart began to race as he internally begged his aunt not to finish her thought. Not to confirm the truth that had settled on him with her observations.

"Remember when the Titans were first released the major weather shifts and the earthquakes. When you have power over the earth like the Titans did, it's bound to suffer your emotional baggage." Paige said and Chris leaned on the chair’s armrest, covering his mouth with his hand.

"And like Leo says, our power comes from our emotions.” The middle sister finished the thought, then seemed excited by the fact that they were narrowing down her older sister's location. “Ok, ok, so if you’re a god and you’re angry and you're taking it out on the city where would you go?"

"Somewhere high where I could enjoy the damage I'm inflicting," Paige muttered to herself looking at the city map with a new eye.

He ignored them both as he stared at the devastation outside the window, his mind finally firmly cementing the fact that this Piper was _not_ his mother. His mother would never have done something like this. She would never have taken her rage out on the innocents of the city; even hyped up on god magic. No, she would have focused it where it belonged, on himself and Leo, and maybe even the Elders. To her protecting an innocent was of top most priority, they came first along with her children. She’d taught him that lesson. She’d taught him that sometimes family does come second to the needs of the many. It’s why he fought so damn hard. It was why he was here, risking his very existence to save the future and everyone in it. That was his mother and the woman of this time was a mockery of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris does something he probably shouldn’t and learns something he wished he hadn’t.  


	8. Dark Intentions

_Chris’ eyes snapped open as agitation coursed through him and pulled him from sleep. His heart beating rapidly, he sat up, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. Usually, he only felt like this when he woke from a nightmare but not this time. If he had, his brother would have already been there pulling him out of it and comforting him. Plus, there was a hollow feeling to the emotions that was hard to describe, like he wasn’t really feeling…he groaned as he realized the agitation was being projected onto him, not coming from him. Chris made a face and glared at the wall between his room and his brother’s. Something had upset Wyatt enough that he was projecting without realizing it._  

_He made a sound somewhere between a grumble and a growl as he got out of bed and padded silently to the door. What could possibly be making his brother so annoyed this late at night? Especially considering the Elders had only kept him for thirty minutes that afternoon and the rest of his birthday had gone off without a hitch. He’d even let the frustrated older boy win the round of capture the flag they’d played after the snack break. Questions and annoyance buzzing around his head, he almost missed the hushed voices echoing up the stairs._

_“…I don’t have time for this,” he heard his brother snap and paused with his hand on the door to Wyatt's room. He heard another voice he didn’t recognize say something back and his interest was piqued. “I’m not leaving the manor tonight and that’s **final**.”_

_As silent as possible Chris reached the top of the stairs before carefully crouching down and crawling the last few inches. From this position, he could see the first floor without being noticed and he made sure to block his brother. He didn’t know why he was being sneaky, he just felt like he should be._

_Through the banister, he could see Wyatt pacing in front of a tall suited man with dark hair. He looked familiar though Chris couldn't place him and the stranger watched his brother nervously. “But Sir, I really think this is a threat we should-"_  

_“Excuse me?” his brother snapped, coming to a halt. A half-clenched fist held in front of him, and, to Chris’s horror, the man began to choke on air as he was forced onto his toes by Wyatt’s magic. “Are you actually **questioning** me?”_

_“I-I just th-thought-” the man tried to say between gasps and Chris sat frozen watching the scene. Petrified by a side of his brother he would never have believed existed._  

_“You thought nothing,” Wyatt sneered and he gave one last powerful squeeze of his fist before letting the man collapse to the floor where he gasped pitifully. “I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I’m not leaving him alone tonight.”_

_“But he’d never-” the man started again but wisely stopped himself and looked away._  

_“I’d know,” Wyatt said stressing the words as he glared dispassionately at the crumpled form at his feet. “I’m not leaving Chris home alone tonight, not happening. It’s bad enough I had to visit the Elders earlier.”_

_“The Elders,” Chris could tell the man was desperate to change the topic of conversation now that he realized he wasn’t going to win the other. “What did they want?"_  

_“Apparently,” The blonde said, an amused look on his face that made Chris’ jaw clench though he didn't understand why. “They’ve heard of a new power growing in the Underworld and they wanted me to look into it.”_

_The man stood, rubbing his neck and seemed amused as well, “They wanted **you** to look into it? Well, that’s lucky.”_

_“Luck's got nothing to do with it,” Wyatt said flatly, “It was expected, after all, I am their ace in the hole. I knew they’d come crawling to me when all this started.”_

_Chris sat there speechless as he tried to understand what was going on. His brother was acting so strange and he was talking about the Elders like…well he was talking about them like he considered them less than dirt. Not that Chris was a fan of theirs by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, he still had respect for what they were to the world. Desperately he tried to piece this together. To fit what was happening in the world he knew, and he almost missed the man’s next statement. “So how did he do today?”_

_“He was amazing,” Wyatt said with a chuckle and suddenly his big brother was back. His face bright and a proud smile gracing his lips. “Even with the lessons I never realized he had such a knack for strategy. You know he won both rounds and I only won the third because he let me. He knew I was upset and wanted to make me feel better.”_

_Chris, who should have felt inflated at his brother’s praise, felt his stomach drop. His brother was referring to the matches they’d played that afternoon, his birthday gift, and now he had a bad feeling about them. It was like Wyatt was talking about a trained puppy or something. Like he’d passed some sort of test that he wasn’t sure he was glad he had. “So he’ll be helpful then, with the plans? He’s the one?”_

_Wyatt pursed his lips thoughtfully, “Not yet, he’s still young. The potential is definitely there though and we’ve got time. But even if it wasn't. It’s with Chris or no one and I won't do it alone.”_

_The finality and possessiveness in his brother’s words terrified him. He’d heard enough of whatever this was, and as quietly as he’d come, Chris snuck back into his room and into his bed. Whatever it was his brother was doing he knew damn well he didn’t want any part of it. What had that been? What was happening?!_

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The day after the monsoon-ravaged, the city was bright and sunny, ending the city’s week-long heat wave. Seated on the Manor's front steps, Chris gazed out at the peaceful neighborhood. He'd sat here hundreds of times growing up, it wouldn't change much in twenty years.

Daryl and his wife had just come by, pausing only to briefly ask who he was and then entered the house with their flowers. They looked like they were going to a wake and Chris rolled his eyes at their backs, his father wasn't actually dead. Leo could and would come down whenever he wanted to. He was an Elder now and the only thing that stopped him from doing what he wanted was himself, though he liked to pretend that wasn't the case. Then, almost as if called by his thoughts, a guarded looking Leo appeared before him dressed in traditional council robes.      

"So did the Elders decide what to do with me yet," he asked, acting as if he didn't already know how this was going to play out.

"Well, you've been the subject of heated discussion," Leo looked away and then back at him. That look told him everything he needed to know about what side of the debate his father had been on. "One thing we agreed upon is you can't return to the future.”

"I figured as much," he bounced his knee a little as he squinted up at the Elder against the sun's glare. Then he lied, "The timelines changed, I don't know what I'd go back too. So, what did they decide?" 

"The Elders voted..." Leo hesitated and he felt giddy, "to make you the Charmed Ones new whitelighter." 

"They did?" he asked, doing what he thought was a wonderful impression of being completely shocked. He'd even thrown a little humility into his tone for good measure. 

"Yes, as a reward for helping to defeat the Titan's but then...somehow I figured you knew that," Leo paused, the weight of his distrust resting on Chris, and he clenched his jaw. Of course, Leo was suspicious of him, he would be the one to make waves and get in the way. He'd known that going in, it's why he'd devoted so much time and effort in setting up his father's 'vacation' spot. He looked down as he tried to rein himself in when Leo continued. "You know I can't stop thinking about what Piper said, and wondering myself, if this wasn't part of your plan all along." 

He treated his father to an emotionless mask that he knew did nothing to endear him to the man. "Take good care of them, Chris. Don't forget, I'll be watching over you." 

It was that last statement that sealed his father's fate. The empty words he'd heard so many times in his childhood. If he had reservations about his plan, they were dead and buried now.

His face was detached and cold as he raised his hand to scatter the orbs as Leo faded away. The action shipping him straight to his new island prison. Let him see how it felt to be abandoned. To be locked in a cage with no way out. Unable to help when you knew something was wrong with the ones you loved. To know that you could save them but you can't because you trusted the wrong person. He stared at the spot hoping to feel some kind of satisfaction with the act but instead, he felt empty.

Not wanting to dwell on that he looked around to be sure he hadn't been seen and stood, jogging up the steps and entering the house. Unknowingly closing the door behind him with his telekinesis like his aunt Prue had after the death of her lover, Andy, several years before.           

"Chris?" He'd been looking down and thinking about his next move when his mother descended the steps. He looked up surprised to see everyone in the dining room looking over at them, their attention also caught by his mother’s call. He’d completely forgotten they were all there. It was a good thing no one had seen his use of Halliwell magic. “What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you but I thought you were leaving.”

“Yeah, McFly,” Paige said from the table, her interested gaze resting on him. “I’d have thought you’d be back to the future already.”

His mouth twitched at her bad joke and then he shrugged, “The Elders think I’ve changed too much to go back so they're keeping me here. They made me your new whitelighter.”

Phoebe’s mouth dropped open, “You’re joking?”

“Oh, that’s great!” Piper exclaimed grabbing his arm and towing him into the dining room, the joy in her reaction confusing him. Was she playing the smiling martyr again, or he supposed for the first time, while his father went gallivanting off into the cosmos? “You sit here and I’ll get another place setting. I know whitelighters don’t really need to eat but you could use it anyway I’m sure.”

She then bustled out of the room and left him to awkwardly sit at the dining room table with four silent people who were staring at him. It was good old Darryl, his godfather and the head of his Civilian Policing division, that decided to break the tension. “So you’re really from the future?”

“Ah,” he hesitated and then coughed. He might as well have this conversation, “yeah I came back to stop the Titans from taking over and, well, now I’m kinda stuck here.”

“Oh,” Sheila, his godmother and the head of his Housing division said sympathetically. “I’m sorry you can’t go home again.”

He looked down at the table, a feeling of longing for his friends and the few family members he had left raced through him. He shrugged, “There’s nothing to go back to, the future’s changed, I might not even exist in the new timeline. I knew that coming here.” 

“But if you don’t, won’t you fade out or something?” Paige asked sounding worried, which made a little feeling of warmth curl in his stomach. She may not like him very much but at least this version of his favorite aunt didn’t want him dead.  

“I’ll have to wait and see,” he said, his tone ending the conversation. Then his mother swanned into the room, all smiles, with a place setting and a platter of eggs.

That conversation ended things and took a turn to the innocuous. They all talked about things like how Wyatt was doing and how the Morrison boys were handling daycare and kindergarten. He almost snorted into his juice as Sheila regaled them with tales of how her two boys got themselves into trouble. They sounded like a far cry from the competent and efficient soldiers who headed his Scouting division. He could just imagine the looks on both DJ and Mike's faces if they knew their leader was learning about their embarrassing childhood exploits. It was that thought that really made him homesick. For as awful as the future was, there were still people there he cared about, and he missed them all terribly.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris finally asks for a little help and he learns a truth that destroys his reality.


	9. Not to Plan

The cavern he slipped into was poorly lit and the stale air hung heavy. His soft soled boots barely made a sound but his steps still echoed in the oppressive silence around him. This intricate maze of caves and tunnels he transversed would have confused most but he’d gotten the lay of the land pretty well over the last month. In fact, this was his fifth hunt this week and he was growing frustrated by his lack of success. It wasn’t even like his target was particularly strong but he was wily and he knew he was being tracked.  

Chris paused to carefully slid a dagger out of its hip sheath as a feeling of wrongness passed over him. He was dressed in the best imitation of his field outfit that he could make in this time period. That meant he was covered in all manner of blades. Daggers in his boots and on his hips, throwing knives on his thighs and wrists, a short sword strapped to his lower back and a surprise he hoped to never use in this time that ran up his spine. All in all he was a one-man arsenal. Yet, outside of the sword on his back, you would never know it with how well his various weapons blended in with his dark clothing.

“Poor little boy lost alone in the dark,” a voice said echoing in the darkness around him. If he’d been anyone else it might have been intimidating, “Maybe I can help you?”

In a quick move, he spun on his heel toward the voice, holding his blade so that the demon before him couldn’t see it. “I’m lost? Really? What makes you think that?”

In the shadow across the room from him he could just make out the outline of something darker, “You meant to wander into an Apis hive? Not even upper-level demons are that foolhardy.”

Chris’ eyes widened and he immediately threw his arm backward. His powers caught the demon that’d been creeping up behind him and threw it into a wall. He’d only ever met one in the future. It had been right after his capture and before Wyatt had known he was in the cells. He still remembered the pain of that session enough to have a healthy respect for the species.

He back peddled away from the shapes, he now noticed in the shadows around him and stood in a lighter part of the cavern, pulling out his short sword as he went, “My mistake. Sorry. I was hunting someone, didn’t mean to bust into your living room. I’ll just be going now.”

“Oh, so not just a little-lost boy, but a little-lost- _witch_ boy,” the voice hissed again, this time sounding overjoyed. There were too many of them. He tried to orb himself out while he could but his magic didn’t respond and he cursed colorfully internally. Of course, it was just his luck. The only way in or out of an Apis hive was to walk. Which also put his offensive abilities down several notches because some of his best attacks required the ability to orb, “We haven’t tasted witch in a long time.”

He took a deep breath as he calculated his options when another voice spoke up, “I don’t know Quinz, this one holds himself like he knows how and those blades look sharp.”

“You want to tell the Queen we let him go?” the first voice asked again and he’d had enough of the talking.

In a quick move he flicked his wrist and the dagger he’d initially pulled out flew across the room and embedded itself somewhere in his target, not that the where mattered for a drone. All his blades had powerful offensive seals etched into the metal. He’d fought and killed many upper level demons over the years with this kind of magic. Really the only people he hadn’t been able to go toe to toe with and beat were Wyatt and his elites. For low level demons such as these it was like using thermite to burn through cardboard. No, it wasn’t the strength of the demons around him that was the problem, it was the number.

Apis demons were hive mind demons who attacked like bees and their touch hurt about as much too. Where the difference lay was that the venom in their claws was a thousand times more potent than a bee’s stinger and hurt like nothing else. It was the main reason Wyatt had made them his torturers, a job they embraced with relish. If he got even nicked, it was going to throw him off and in a group this big that meant death.

It was a good thing he'd decided to wear his long sleeve tactical shirt today.

He made a desperate decision and ran back toward where he’d come from. At the same time he pulled out some of his throwing knives and tossed them at various forms he could make out in the dark. They all exploded, too shocked by his sudden aggression to contemplate dodging away. Surprise was his ally here and if he could make it just outside the hive he was golden. But, nothing was ever that easy and the creatures got over the shock before he’d run a hundred feet. What followed was one of the worst fights he’d ever had the misfortune to be involved in. He never stopped moving, as he spun, kicked, and sliced his way out of the fray he found himself in.

Several minutes later after spinning away from one set of claws and having to duck under another he'd had enough. He wasn’t getting out of here without using _it_ so he focused his telekinesis onto the holster that ran down his spine and crouched down. Around him the sounds of screaming and the high pitched whistle of small fast moving objects filled the air as the drones exploded. The resulting ash was so thick he had to cover his mouth or risk choking on it. It took only a few seconds before the only sound left was that whistling and he stood, the holster on his back stiffening once again as his weapon returned to its home.

_Well, well, little brother, you really are a Whirlwind. I have to admit, I’m quite proud of you._

Chris winced as the voice from a not too long ago conversation came whispering to him in the dark. Then he shook himself and, after a quick move of his hand that brought all of his weapons to him, he ran back the way he’d come. He may have won that battle but the Queen would have felt the death of her drones. She’d be sending the entire swarm out after him for the death and mayhem he’d just caused. That was of course if she didn’t just come herself. If that happened he would need the help of one of his top tactical teams, which wasn’t an option, or the Charmed Ones to deal with her.

As he ran he constantly tried to orb himself, not knowing where the hive ended in the dimly lit passages. He also reviewed his situation and how he’d gotten there. He swore when he caught up to the Teserec demon he was going to torture the bastard slowly to death for this. An Apis hive. Who lead someone into an Apis hive?! It had to go against some sort of unspoken decency laws, even among demons! His guard was down, distracted by his thoughts and plans, and he never noticed the lone drone in the dark until it dug its claws into his upper arm and he screamed in agony.

“Now they’ll find you no matter where you run,” it hissed at him and Chris snarled before whipping out a dagger and slamming it into the creature’s heart. It burst into flames and he collapsed to the ground gripping the injury.

It felt like someone had just injected molten metal into his bloodstream but he pushed himself to his feet and stumbled forward using the cave walls to keep himself upright and moving. Every step was torture but finally, he reached the end of the territory just as he heard screeching approaching him from the darkness behind. It made sense that they’d have to follow him the old fashioned way with the protections he carried and orbed himself away.

Chris landed in the backroom of P3 and had to catch himself on the metal desk so he didn’t face plant completely on the floor. His body convulsed as another spasm of pain rocked him and he slipped on his hands and knees. His entire body was one throbbing nerve and it took him too long to realize the pounding he was hearing wasn’t his heart but the base for a song playing in the club. He was panting hard as he pushed himself onto his knees and carefully unstrapped his upper body from his gear with shaking hands. His gear on the floor he took deep centering breaths before he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He just managed to clamp his mouth shut on the scream that tried to escape him with the action.

There were four distinct puncture marks and black lines spread from them. In one there was even a claw left behind. He bit out several choice words before using a throwing knife to pry it out of his skin. The effort made his stomach roll and he threw up, expelling what little food he’d eaten that day into the trash bin beside the desk. He was lucky it was right there because he didn’t have the wherewithal to actually clean the floor.  He gave himself a few minutes to rest his head against the desk’s cold metal before he got to his feet again. Once standing, he stumbled sluggishly to the staff locker he’d commandeered as his own and it took him ten excruciating attempts too many to manipulate the lock correctly. The thought of just orbing it off never even occurring to him.

From inside it, he pulled out some rosemary, ginger, mandrake root, aloe, and st. john’s wart, along with a mortar and pestle. Slowly and carefully, his hands shaking and jaw clenched, he ground the ingredients together. Then used some water from a bottle he found on the floor to make a paste that he then applied to the cuts on his arm. Because they were Wyatt’s torturers, his people had devised a salve to not only treat the venom but to also counteract the hormone that went with it. The one that made victims easy to track for the rest of the hive.

He all but melted into the couch as the cooling sensation of the medicine moved from his arm to the rest of him. It was slower than the poison but that didn’t matter as long as he found relief. It was a good half an hour before he even considered the possibility of moving but he knew he had too. The room may have been lent to him but it wasn’t the most private of places. He needed to clean up his gear and then take a shower before anyone noticed the blood or his interesting array of killing implements.

This wasn't the first time his mother had lent the office out to be a pseudo-apartment for friends to stay in. Which was why she'd remodeled the bathroom attached to it into a full one, shower and all. The shower refreshed him enough that he could properly re-apply the salve to his wound and then wrap it before stuffing all his equipment into his locker. He'd take it out and clean it the next morning when he didn’t feel like death warmed over.   

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_Hidden from the multitude of eyes around him, Chris' heart shattered as he watched his brother correct a demons fighting stance._

_In the month since the half overheard conversation between his brother and what he now knew was a demon named Azulon, Chris had been investigating his brother. He’d even gone so far as to steal an invisibility be-spelled pendant from Magic School so that he could follow the older boy into the underworld without being seen. Something he now wished he'd never done. If he hadn’t he could still live in a world where his brother wasn’t betraying everything their family ever stood for._

_What was Wyatt thinking?!_

_How could he do this?!_

_Demons like the ones he was training had killed their mother! They’d almost killed him for Christ’s sake! Yet here he was, helping them, guiding them, leading them. Chris felt ill and he ran in the opposite direction to leave Wyatt’s 'territory'. Oh god, his brother had territory in the underworld. Once outside it, he orbed himself home and there he didn’t know what to do with himself, what was he supposed to do with this knowledge? Would anyone believe him if he told them? He really couldn’t blame them if they didn’t. He didn’t believe it and he’d seen it with his own eyes! His brother was supposed to be the paragon of good, the next King Arthur, not - not -_ **_that_ ** _!_

_He needed an outlet before he exploded and ran to the basement where he started beating on the punching bag hanging in the room’s center. There was no finesse or attempt at form in his swings. His emotion careening out of control, he didn't realize that his powers had quickly followed. They picked up the room's clutter to create a spinning vortex of destruction that whipped around him._

_Feeling his emotional self-destruction, Wyatt had orbed home but Chris' power pushed him to the kitchen instead of where he wanted to go. Unable to get close, the wide-eyed blonde was forced to watch the maelstrom and show of power taking place before him from the top of the stairs._

_“Chris!” He yelled, trying to reach his brother over the sounds of the wind and things crashing into each other. “Chris you have to stop!”_

_“Wyatt! What…” Wyatt spun to see his father standing behind him, looking as shocked as he did. Then he became serious as he pushed his oldest son behind him and advanced carefully down the stairs, making sure to avoid projectiles. “He’s lost control. If we don’t stop him he’ll burn himself out.”_

_Chris, unaware of the plans being made outside his swirling bubble gave the bag one last good hit and it exploded. The force of it sent him flying backward in the left alcove of the basement. Everything he’d picked up in his distress froze in place and then dropped to the ground with a loud clang. While he hit the ground bouncing like a skipping stone on water._

_“Chris!” They yelled in unison before orbing straight to him. Quickly Leo took stock of the situation and ordered Wyatt to fix the basement while he tended to his youngest son. Wyatt resisted but Leo grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him away. “Wyatt, I’ll take care of him. Fix the basement before the house caves in on us!”_

_The older boy reluctantly saw sense and left his brother in the capable hands of their father. Already the brunette’s bruised and bloodied body was half healed. Under the superior strength of an Elder healing, in seconds Chris groaned back to wakefulness before the basement had even finished fixing itself under Wyatt’s influence. Drowsily he blinked open his eyes, suffering from a magic drain and the lingering effects of his injuries._

_“Chris,” Leo murmured as he carefully cupped his youngest's cheek and angled his face to look directly at his eyes. “Chris are you ok? What happened?”_

_Chris wasn't sure how to answer. How did he tell his father that seeing Wyatt training demons had set off a mental landmine he hadn’t known existed? He'd just started to form a response when his brother’s face popped up above him, “Chris! What the hell?! Are you ok?!”_

_The sudden motion and the yelling surprised him in is foggy state and he shrank further into the safety of his father’s arms. The move surprised everyone and Wyatt sat back, stunned at the look of fear his brother had directed at him. It taunted him in his mind's eye. It was Leo who recovered first and he came up with the only logical reason he could think of, “Easy Wyatt. He’s still out of it, you startled him. Chris. Hey look at me buddy, you’re ok. You just tired yourself out. Can you tell me what happened?”_

_“I…I don’t…”Chris muttered, screwing his eyes shut and trying desperately to push down his anger. He was too weak to keep them out and he needed to play dumb until he knew what he was going to do. “I was just so mad and I-I don't...”_

_“Ok, it's ok,” his father crooned, though there was a real concern there. Chris almost wanted to laugh, or cry, he wasn’t sure which. So this was what it took to get his father’s care and attention? Almost bring the house down on top of himself, “What do you remember?”_

_“I just was so mad,” he mumbled, telling half truths so that they wouldn’t sense an out and out lie while playing up the sick puppy angle to get himself out of the situation._

_“A demon maybe?” his father asked his brother when he closed his eyes and pretended to be fading out._

_“What?!” Wyatt sounded both confused and, if Chris wasn’t mistaken, slightly offended. That made sense of course. If Wyatt really was a power in the underworld then a rogue attacking his little brother would be an attack against his power base._

_“Wyatt,” their father admonished, “Chris is exceedingly level-headed. Something on this scale wouldn’t have happened without outside prompting. There are a few demons out there with old grudges who would gladly manipulate him. He was here, alone, if we hadn’t shown up he very likely would have knocked himself out and then the house would have come down on him. He’d all but destroyed the foundation.”_

_He could feel the simmering rage in Wyatt before he'd pushed it down. Likely he was saving it to be released at a later date on some imagined target. That wasn't something Chris was going to complain about. Better his brother is hunting imagined foes and killing demons wholesale in the process than be training them to kill innocents._

_“Here, can you get him to bed? I have to go back before I’m missed,” Still pretending to be asleep allowed himself to be shifted from one person to the next without tensing. “Everyone is still worried about the new threat and they’re keeping us close.”_

_Chris, who was now securely in the arms of his brother, did his best to stay pliant as a conversation from a month ago flitted through his brain. A conversation about the Elders being worried about a new underworld power. The one they'd wanted Wyatt to look into. A conversation where two people laughed at that idea. Chris supposed it was funny, considering the threat was, in fact, his brother. He wanted to laugh if only to keep himself from crying._

_“Fine, go. I’ll take care of him. I always do,” Wyatt sneered and Chris could hear the bitterness in his voice. He knew how much their father’s lack of care for Chris affected him and he’d grown to resentment their father for it. No amount of extra attention Leo heaped on Wyatt had helped, in fact, it'd made it worse._

_Chris heard Leo sigh and then the tinkling sound of his departure. He was now alone with someone he could no longer trust. Even still, interested in what he’d do now, Chris continued to feign sleep as his brother gripped him tighter to orb them both to his room. Then he was placed on his bed and covered in blankets. These actions were so like the brother he’d always known that his conflicted emotions ran rampant._

_“Chris? You awake?” Wyatt asked and he could tell by the voice that his brother was crouched down beside him. He sounded so genuinely concerned but still, Chris refused to admit he was conscious. He couldn’t face him now. The other boy sighed to himself and then ran his hand through Chris’ hair in what should have been a comforting, almost parental, gesture. “Who got to you so badly that you’re upset in your dreams?… Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again, Chris. No one hurts you and lives to talk about it.”_

_If Chris was being honest, that was probably the least comforting thing his brother had ever said to him. His promise given, Wyatt stood to move away and he relaxed, only to tense again when he came back. Carefully his head was lifted and a necklace placed around his neck. That done, Wyatt turned and left the room enacting a ward spell around it._

_Chris opened his eyes and he sat up to look at the amulet resting against his chest. It was the same one his brother had given him after their mother died. The one he’d stopped wearing months ago. He fiddled with it and took a closer look at the runes imbedded in its surface. They were powerful and complicated, which meant Wyatt very likely hadn’t made it himself. He needed to do something but what? Then he smiled as an idea came to him, he knew who he could talk to._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

“So how exactly did you manage to piss off this, uh, Appa Queen?” Paige asked him as she mixed together ingredients for a vanquishing potion she’d found in the book.

“It’s Apis Queen and I kinda…” he hesitated, standing with his hands in his pockets and Phoebe looked up at him from reading a Book entry. Paige too raised an eyebrow at the faintly embarrassed look he was giving them. Piper remained oblivious to the world as she happily played with her son on the floor, “I kinda stumbled into their hive while tracking a demon I’ve been looking for.”

Phoebe leaned on the book and tilted her head, “And you were looking for a demon because?”

He rubbed the back of his head and shifted. For the last month he’d been trying to track down anyone and everyone he knew of, or that was in the book, who could manipulate a child the way Wyatt had been manipulated.  During that time he’d been going it alone, only bringing the sisters in for vanquishes he knew he wasn’t strong enough to do without investing time he didn’t have into research. He was surprised, though he probably shouldn’t have been, just how many different evil entities like to play the long game. Now he was at an impasse. He could tell them about his brother and get some much needed fire power as a constant on his side or he could continue like he had been and probably get a repeat performance of the previous night. Maybe he could do both?

“I’ve been – and now don’t get mad at me because I was hoping to do this without you ever having to know or worry about it – but I’ve been looking for a demon that I know is after Wyatt.” He said as he hunched his shoulders slightly and waited for the explosion that was bound to come from each of them.

“I’m sorry what?” Phoebe asked like she was sure she hadn’t heard him right. Paige had stopped stirring her potion and Piper was looking up at him from the floor with wide eyes, holding her son a little tighter.

“Look,” he said quickly before the screaming he could see coming started. “I shouldn’t even be saying _that_ much. It’s why I tried to do it alone. It's future knowledge and I don’t just say that to mess with you. I’m trying my best not to make what happens _worse_.”

“What does happen?” Piper asked, her perky disposition replaced with seriousness and he winced, shaking his head.

“I can’t tell you that - I’m sorry!” he added seeing the storm brewing in Paige’s eyes and Phoebe’s open mouth. “I really am! But I’m trying to save him, doesn’t that count for something?”

“Who and when, Chris?” Paige ground out, doing a poor impression of being calm.

“If I knew any of that do you think that I would be stumbling around in the dark and kicking over Apis hives?” he shot back, his eyes flat and tone neutral. “All I know is that something gets to him before he’s two. The specifics got kinda, lost, in everything that happens after.”

The silence that followed made him nervous but he held firm under their glares. Interestingly enough it was Piper who broke the stalemate. “So exactly how many time traveling laws are you breaking by telling us this?”

“Piper,” Paige admonished, realizing that she was agreeing with him and he gave her an inquisitive look.

“What Paige?” Piper asked as she stood and walked over to the group. “You may never have time traveled but Phoebe and I have. Of everyone, Phoebe, you know the burden of knowing about a future tragedy and how dangerous changing the past can be.” She looked pointedly at her sister who ducked her head. “The fact that Chris is willing to go out on that limb to save my son is reason enough for me to give him help if he’ll let me.”

“Thank you, Piper,” he said but narrowed his eyes at the woman. While her understanding reaction was welcome and helpful, it also wasn’t normal. The Piper he’d met his first few days here wasn’t the understanding type when it came to threats towards her family. To point out a fact, he’d noticed a lack of general reactivity about her recently. It was like nothing bothered her and everything was always perfect. He'd made nothing of it before but now it actually worried him.

“Alright, fine, he can’t tell us,” Paige groused and her tone implied that she didn’t agree with that even a little. “But he _is_ going to let us help him from now on, no more demon tracking in the underworld by himself.”

“Agreed,” Phoebe said, still giving him the evil eye. “We’re not leaving the fate of our nephew in only your hands. No offense Chris but whitelighters aren’t exactly known for their vanquishing skills.”

Chris snorted and actually did take offense to that. What exactly did she think he’d been doing the last few months, having tea parties with the demons he caught? And he wasn’t ‘allowed’ to hunt demons on his own now? As if them being there would help him. What a ridiculous statement to make, they’d get in his way more than they’d ever help him. He internally shook himself and nodded before they went back to formulating a plan to kill the hive Queen.

At least now he had a willing backup.           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris starts to slip down a dark path and has an informative conversation with one of his aunts.  


	10. The Slippery Slope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A car accident, a concussion, the holiday's and a busy few months later I'm finally back to writing! :)

Three months into this ‘surgical strike’ and Chris was beginning to lose hope that he could complete his mission at all. Every demon he’d had the sisters kill never seemed to be the right one. No matter how hard he scoured the book and other magical tomes he never seemed to find it. Now he was just killing his way through the demons he knew Wyatt trusted, those important to his regime. If the demon who'd turned Wyatt was still alive in his time, it would want to reap the benefits of its work. So it would make sense for it to be in the upper echelon of his brother’s council. That and he knew that destroying his brother’s power base could only help him and the Resistance of the future. It was a long shot but he was out of other ideas.

Which was why, on a beautiful late summer day in San Francisco, he wasn’t on the beach or at the park. No, instead he was standing in a stuffy, overheated, attic using his telekinesis to flip the pages of his family’s ancestral book while he stood off at a distance. It was an old habit, literally looking at a problem from a distance and it helped trick his mind into not being overwhelmed by information. He gnawed on a pen as he moved his hand methodically until he noticed a face he recognized and stopped the page. 

Thoughtfully he read the entry and remembered a raid on one of his safe houses this demon had made. He nodded to himself with a smile, writing down the vanquishing spell. He’d gotten about half of it done when a familiar swirling blue vortex caught his attention near the door and he started as Mist walked out. Over the months before he’d joined forces with the sisters, the two of them had gotten close. Not lovers, his heart couldn’t handle that, but friends.      

"Kay, are you out of your mind?” He asked walking to the podium to stand before her. He knew he didn't look like the cool commander he always was around her but if one of the sisters saw her he was a dead man once Leo returned.“What are you doing here?"

"Freya sent me.” She replied and he could see the teasing look in her eyes. Freya may have wanted someone to talk to him about the situation but she’d volunteered. “She wants to know what's taking so long."

"Freya?” He asked redundantly and then scowled. She was always concerned about one thing or another. She and Kara were some of the biggest worriers he’d ever come across, outside of himself. “You know for a mythical character she sure does worry a lot."

"She's not the only one who's worried.” Mist corrected and he knew from the look she gave him that she was referring to both herself and the rest of the Valkyrie elite. He couldn’t blame them. They were playing a dangerous game with him, “He’s an Elder Chris. How much longer do you really expect us to keep him?"

"Don't tell me he's complaining," Chris almost whined, rubbing his temples already knowing the answer. Only Leo would be unhappy in a place most men dreamed about. 

"Yes, a lot actually," She said and there was laughter in her voice that made him smirk. Oh, how he wished he could see his father in his current predicament. 

"I don't believe it. Banish the guy to an island full of beautiful woman and he still complains." Chris muttered as he threw his hands around dramatically. "I can't win."

Mist smiled at his antics and then grew serious, "How much longer?"

"Until I'm ready," Chris snarled taking his frustration with himself out on her and Mist looked away, hurt. He sighed and his shoulders drooped as guilt welled up in him. Not only was he using her in general but now he was hurting her feelings on top of it. "Look I'm sorry, but I haven't finished what I came here to do yet and I need Leo out of the way until I can. More importantly, the sisters can't find him before I'm ready. Or else -"

"I know,” she said quietly still looking at the ground, “we all understand the risks."

Chris watched her for a moment and realized he needed to fix this. The Valkyrie were good allies and he couldn’t afford to ruin his relationship with the mythical women before it even started. They were a big reason why his Resistance had been so successful, "I'd never hurt you Mist, you know that."

"You would if you had to, I know that too." she corrected and his throat grew tight at the look of certainty in her eyes. Was that true? Would he, could he, actually hurt any of them if it became necessary to his mission? And what did that make him if he could?

"Chris are you up there?" Piper’s yell from the next floor made him jump and Mist looked through the doorway behind her then back to him.

"You better go." He said trying to make her leave with a charming smile. 

She looked up at him seductively and he bit the inside of his lip hard, focusing on that pain instead of the one in his heart. He kissed her then, in an effort to get her to just leave and self-loathing filled him. He'd officially crossed a line he'd been toeing, he was out and out using her now. It wasn’t something he’d ever thought he’d do at the start of all this. He never thought he’d have to sacrifice so many parts of himself to save the ‘many’ either. Was that how this was going to end? Was he going to lose everything he was to save the older brother who’d betrayed everything they’d ever believed in?

"Please hurry," she whispered pulling away from him and her portal closed just as his mother walked into the room. He stood there lost in thought, staring at the spot where the pretty blonde had once been. Memories of his time with Bianca flying through his mind and the knowledge of the slippery slope he was on loomed over him. He screwed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The 'lessons' Wyatt had given him over the years filled his ears with ghostly whispers and he almost missed Piper’s questions to him.   
  
"Hey! Do you have any laundry?" she asked happily as she came into the room with a basket on her hip. When he didn’t answer, just stood there staring at nothing, she grew concerned and moved forward. The movement snapped him out of his daze and he pulled away from her.   

"Uh, no, no I'm good thanks," he replied weakly as he walked back to the book. The moment passed and Piper, in her happy little haze, lets it go. Something she would never have done if she’d been herself, "I'm going to get your sisters, though, we have another demon to vanquish."

"Okie dokie." She simpered happily in that weird little sing-song voice she’d adopted lately. He raised an eyebrow at her retreating back and then blew out a relieved breath before going back to his work. 

Once the vanquishing spell was copied and pocketed, he orbed himself to the beach where he could sense Phoebe, remembering talk of a radio show she’d been asked to do. It took him a second to spot her from his position behind the station’s van and was surprised to see her flirting with an almost laughably stereotypical California surfer dude. He could have sworn his aunt had better taste than that.

"Phoebe!" he called to her, making his way across the sand and she spun around looking surprised.

"Chris? What are you doing here?" She asked good-naturedly and then said her goodbyes to the blonde beach bum mentioning something about a lunch date. He wanted to groan but held himself in check with great difficulty. Both his aunts had been becoming more and more difficult as the months had gone by. More interested in their fleeting personal lives than the fate of the world and it was grating. 

"Trok demon?” he asked folding his arms and staring at her impassively. “Remember?"

"Ugh, Chris get a life!" she sneered at him throwing her hand up in the air like she found him to be both insane and hopeless. He just rolled his eyes at the display, more than used to the treatment. It didn’t matter, he wouldn't let it. As long as the job got done, nothing that happened to him in the process was important. 

"Come on, let's go," he ordered, orbing them back to the house without giving her more time to argue.

He didn’t even fully solidify himself when he left her and ignored the consternated yells that followed him as he went off in search of the youngest sister. He found her trying to control an unwieldy amount of dogs of various sizes and took a moment to watch the mess she was making of it. Then he laughed as she completely lost control of them and they bolted away from her, only to be caught again when she orbed in front of them.   

Still smiling he appeared behind her then and leaned around her shoulder, "Trok demon?"

"What now?! Can't you see I'm working?" Paige growled gesturing at the dogs before her as if they were more important than what he wanted from her. As if her little temp job that meant nothing in the grand scheme of the universe was more important than the future of all humanity.  He was about to tell her as much when the bulldog of the pack started to hump her leg and he decided that was karmic punishment enough. Like with Phoebe, he grabbed her, and because they didn’t have the time for anything else, decided to bring all the dogs back to the house.

Phoebe was pacing in the front hall when they solidified and he wondered if her agitation had anything to do with her date, "Alright can we get this started because - where did they come from?"

"He wouldn't let me take them back first," Paige said exasperatedly and she made a face at him that he found both childish and beneath her.

"Back?" Phoebe asked her hands on her hips and the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Yea, I'm a...dog walker,” she admitted lamely, shoving a dog that tried to jump on her. “The temp agency messed up."

"Ok, do you guys mind?” he asked trying to refocus them on the issue at hand, they got distracted so easily. The younger versions of the women who’d taught him would never have survived their own training, let alone his world. “We have to summon the Trok demon while he's still on our plane! Piper!"

"Oh, Chris, lighten up!” Phoebe stood with her feet apart and arms folded as she glared at him, “Sending us after all these demons is getting to be a real drag."

"Yea, you're working us like," Paige shook the leashes dramatically at him, "Dogs."

"I don't see Piper complaining?" He said falling back on the logic that had won him many fights over the last few months. 

"No, because Piper doesn't complain about anything anymore! Ever since Leo left to become an Elder all she does is walk around the house all...” the famous columnist searched for the right word for a moment, her face disgusted. “Chipper!"

"So?" he asked though he knew exactly what was wrong with that. He'd just been hoping it would take her sisters longer to notice as well. Then again, his mother had been getting exponentially worse the last week or so, it was hard not to notice the difference.

"So, it's unusual and what's worse, it's  _ not  _ Piper," Paige explained and she sounded worried as she gazed up at the ceiling of the room, just before Piper came down from the second floor.

"I'd love to have a play date!" Piper said happily into the bulky cordless phone on her shoulder as she descended the stairs with his brother on her hip. She was talking to what he assumed was a friend as she did a perfect impression of super mom. Her voice was even high pitched the way you’d talk to a baby, only she used that tone on everyone now. The three of them watched awestruck as the bubble of sunshine passed them heading for the kitchen. "Maybe we can call Jenny and she can bring baby Jose and then I'll bring the juice and maybe some muffins and - Oh! How cute! Ok?!"

"She's getting worse," Phoebe observed, still staring after her. Paige agreed and he did as well, though he didn’t voice his concerns. Whatever spell Leo put her under was potent enough that it gained strength over time instead of lost it. He'd been concerned from the beginning that it might become too dangerous to leave her like this but he’d wanted to milk her constant compliance for all it was worth after the Titan fiasco. Finally, the middle sister turned back to him, hand outstretched. "Do you have a spell?"

"Right out of the book," he said handing it over to her "After you summon him, make sure Piper freezes him otherwise you'll never get the spell off."

"Here, take these guys up to the attic," Paige ordered, handing him the leashes. "They'll be fine there."

"Wait?” he looked from the leashes in his hands back to her. “Me?"

"Yea you! Go!" Paige yelled and the dogs took that as their sign to run. Immediately the herd bolted up the stairs, dragging him behind them. 

Paige had cleverly hooked the leashes around his hand and he wasn’t able to get free until he’d been pulled to the second floor. Now liberated he stood back and watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the multitude ran ahead of him and straight into a place that smelled familiar. Paige’s bedroom. He was leaning on the door frame of what would someday be Wyatt’s room, watching the mayhem, when a distinctly masculine yell reverberated through the air around him. He spun and looked down the hall, swearing. Of course, they wouldn’t listen to him and freeze the damn thing before it attacked. 

With a wave of his hand he sent all the dogs into the attic and with a thought he slammed the attic door shut, sealing the pack in the room and out of the way. Then he ran to the stairs, reached them just in time to hear a successful vanquish. Followed by Piper’s awed voice describe the experience as being ‘awesome’. 

He paused on the landing in the middle of the stairs and looked down at the three who were pushing themselves up off the ground at varying speed, “What happened, is everyone alright?”

“Oh we’re fine,” Phoebe groused rubbing her shoulder and Piper almost seemed to bounce out of the room toward the kitchen. Paige was the last to rise and he could see the wound on her shoulder. He bit his lip, he knew what was coming. If he was being honest it was a miracle he'd gotten away with it for this long. “Piper just blew up one of the Trok’s heads instead of freezing him, he disapproved.”

“Yup, we get thrown into a wall and Piper thinks it was the best thing ever,” Paige sneered and then looked over at him expectantly. He winced, “Well come on! How about some healing future boy, I haven’t got all day.” 

“I-” he paused and rubbed the back of his neck, “I can’t heal, I don’t know how.”

“I'm sorry, what?” Phoebe asked, her eyes wide as she stared at him like he had two heads. Paige looked equally as flummoxed. “What do you mean you don’t know  _ how _ ?”

“I don’t know how, mean’s, I don’t know how, ” he said trying to keep his voice as level as possible. Phoebe stared for a moment and then scoffed before motioning her sister to head into the living room while she went into the downstairs bathroom for medical supplies. 

"What kind of whitelighter can't heal?!" Paige whined as she stormed into the front parlor, Chris following dutifully behind her like a kicked puppy. Then she threw herself onto the couch where she sat, glaring at him.

"For the record, you can't heal either," he countered as he took a seat on the armrest of one of the chairs.

"I'm  _ half _ -whitelighter!" she said in her own defense and he almost ached to tell her he was too. "How come you didn't tell us this before we hired you?"

"Because you didn't ‘hire me’, I was assigned,” he quipped, banking on the authority of the beings who were supposed to be his bosses for more leverage, “by the Elders!"

"Any other little surprises you'd like to share with us?" Phoebe asked as she walked into the room and then began to work on patching up her sister.

"No," he said but even to his own ears, the word sounded forced. There were so many things that he wanted to tell them, and Phoebe gave him a look. She’d noticed the slip and he covered himself quick. "Look, I haven't been a whitelighter very long, ok, and healing...it's big and takes a while to learn how to do."

"Great! Student-lighter," Phoebe sighed but her tone was more teasing than truly spiteful.

"Ok, well, you could have told us about this, I don't know, maybe a month ago?" Paige snapped and her tone wasn’t the least bit friendly, though she was the one hurt.

"Well, I know one thing for sure,” Phoebe said as she cleaned the wound. “We’re going to stop all this demon fighting for a while."

"Wait?!” he exclaimed jumping to his feet, “Why?!"

"Could somebody please fold the towels in the dryer when it's done?!" Piper yelled from somewhere in the house, not noticing that a family meeting was happening in the parlor or that her sister was hurt. 

"That's why!" Phoebe said, her voice exasperated as she watched her older sister come barreling into the front hall, a tornado of sunshine personified.

"I put a casserole in the oven. You can check it in about an hour or so.” Chris’ eye twitched at the pitch of her voice and all three of them watched her smiling face blankly. “I’ll be at the club if you need me! Have fun!"

"Oh my god she is so sad!" Phoebe lamented and turned back to her other sister to resume her nursing duties. Chris glanced at her, eyes narrowed. Not for the first time, he wondered if she was coming into a certain troublesome power far too early. Given a moment’s thought, he came to the conclusion that she was and that was bad. He huffed, he had too much to worry about as it was, he’d deal with  _ that  _ situation when it became a real problem. 

"How about this, three more demons and then we can talk about taking a break?" He offered, it was a reasonable deal. Especially considering he only had three left on the current list before he had to make a new one.

"What do you have a quota or something?" Paige sneered, a disgusted look on her face. 

"Look, I've already told you this before. I know from future knowledge that a demon is going to come after Wyatt.” He sat back in his seat and rubbed his face, “These are all just...preemptive strikes."

"Ok, Chris look. We like you a lot but we've been doing this a lot longer than you have.” Phoebe said gently as if she was a teacher talking to a student who just didn't understand. He stared at her almost unable to comprehend the level of arrogance in that one sentence. She knew nothing about him. She had no idea the life he'd lived or the skills he possessed. Just because he’d said he was a new whitelighter did not imply that he was also new to the magical world by any stretch of the imagination. Her six years of bumbling around in the dark had nothing on his  _ lifetime _ of training and battle experience. Who was she to even think this about him, let alone say it? "Trust me, you have to pace yourself and you gotta let us have a life!" 

Let them live a life? He should let them live a life?! He wondered how many people in his time would sell their souls just to have an iota of the good she had in her life, even with the magical mayhem. He wondered how many people didn't even let themselves  _ dream _ about an existence where their biggest issue was whether the surfer dude DJ was a right fit like he was witnessing now. He should let them pace themselves? Yes, because  _ pacing _ was important when you needed to battle a host of demons for fucking food. These women lived in a fairytale and they thought to tell him that he just didn't understand how reality worked?

"Two demons," he countered after getting himself under control, bargaining with them was better than letting them get away scot free. "How about that? Two?"

"No!" she yelled and then ended his argument by bringing up annoyingly valid points, "especially not until we figure out what's wrong with Piper and more importantly, Piper's powers!"

"I swear," Paige muttered, "I think Leo did something to her before he left."

"Well, you know what, I think it's about time we orbed him down here and asked him," Phoebe agreed and he saw the writing on the wall before she'd even finished the sentence. 

Chris shifted before shrugging noncommittally, "I don't think that's possible."

"Well then make it possible." Phoebe folded her arms and glared at him. He looked back at her blandly, not even a little bit intimidated, which only seemed to upset her further. "Look even if he doesn't care about Piper, as his wife, as an Elder he at the very least should care about what happens to her powers.

"I can't," he replied with finality to his tone that he knew they were going to ignore.  

"Yeah, you can," Paige said tilting her head, "you just go ‘Up There’ and tell him to get his butt back down here!"

"That's not why I can’t," he grit his teeth and made a decision he knew he was going to regret but he was out of options. He was already on thin ice over his inability to heal. He didn't want them to eventually learn he’d been untruthful about Leo's MIA status as well. "Look I didn't want to tell you this because I didn't want to worry you but...Leo's missing.”

"What?" Phoebe gasped.

"Missing?" Paige repeated and he could see her quickly grasp the situation. "How long?"

"Since the last time, we saw him. Anyway, the Elders think he's been," he hesitated but then said the word with a sigh. "...kidnapped."

"By whom?" Paige asked the man who'd made it happen and he shrugged his shoulders. 

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_ “Aunt Paige,” Chris asked hesitantly as he knocked on her classroom door and she turned from preparing her lesson to smile at him. “Hey, can I talk to you?” _

_ “Chris,” she exclaimed, a welcoming smile on her face and he gave her a fierce hug which she returned in equal measure. “It’s good to see you! I haven’t seen you since your birthday and I know you have after school so there’s no excuse! I’ve been feeling so neglected by my favorite nephew!” _

_ Chris smiled the first genuine smile he’d had since he’d last seen her, “Sorry, I’ve been really busy lately I - I actually…I’m here to talk about that.” _

_ Paige cocked her head to the side before leaning back against her desk, “Oh? Well, I have a good twenty minutes to kill before my next class so come on, spill.” _

_ Chris hesitated, “Ok, but you have to promise me nothing I say 'll leave this room.” _

_ His aunt’s eyebrows furrowed, “I’ll do my best, but you know if you tell me something really serious I have to report it.” _

_ “Ok…”Chris took a deep breath, it was now or never and if anyone could help him it was her. “Well, hypothetically … if I knew someone was doing something they shouldn’t…what should I do if I didn’t think anyone would believe me?” _

_ Paige watched him thoughtfully, “Depends on what they're doi-” _

_ “Training demons to fight,” Chris said, cutting her off quickly, afraid that if he didn’t get the words out he never would. “They were…training some demons to fight.” _

_ Paige’s mouth slipped open as her arms fell to her side and he realized too late that she would have heard the rumors his father had mentioned. The one about the new power in the underworld. How could he have been so stupid! This was a mistake but it was too late if Paige’s face was anything to go by. She stood straight and walked over to place her hands on his shoulders. “Chris. Who and where?” _

_ He hesitated again but she grabbed his chin when he tried to look away and he wanted to cry, “Wyatt, it was Wyatt. I thought he was acting strange so I followed him and…” _

_ “ _ **_Wyatt_ ** _?!” She hissed and let him go like he’d burned her. In that moment he could have heard a pin drop in the silence. He couldn’t tell if she believed him or not and it was the worst feeling imaginable as she stared blankly at him. "You saw  _ **_Wyatt_ ** _ training  _ **_demons_ ** _?! _

_ Chris nodded his head and looked down to hide the tears in his eyes. The idea of Wyatt's betrayal against their family still too new for him. "I saw him, I've overheard conversations...he's the one you've all been looking for." _

_ Paige hesitated before she moved forward again and placed her hands on either side of his face, "Chris, you're  _ **_absolutely_ ** _ sure about this?" _

_ He made a sound between a sob and a sigh, then began his story. He started with the fact that something about Wyatt had felt off for awhile and ended with what he'd seen two days prior. When he was done, his aunt was pale and if he wasn't mistaken she was shaking as she sat heavily in one of the desk chairs. She believed him, which was a relief, but it was also clear that she was in as much shock as he was.  _

_ "Aunt Paige, I - I don't know what to do," he whispered and a part of him hated how desperate and afraid he sounded.  _

_ She looked up at him and new steel entered her eyes as she stood up again, to pull him into a hug, "Chris, hey, it's ok, you did the right thing. Now it's up to the adults to take care of the rest. Your brother is powerful and I don't want you to get hurt. Whatever's going on, I think he's being controlled and I doubt whoever's holding the leash is going to let you live if they know you do." _

_ Chris opened his mouth but then closed it again before nodding his head in agreement. His brother wasn't being controlled. He  _ **_knew_ ** _ that much for a fact. He knew it by the feeling of the connection between them that whatever was going on, it was all Wyatt's doing. But if thinking he was made his Aunt look into his brother, if it stopped him, if it made him see reason and sense? Then Chris was happy to let her think whatever she wanted. _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The yard he glared at beyond the conservatory window was the only part of the house he could claim only held good memories for him. Memories of playing with his brother, his cousins, or his friends out on the grass and even sometimes in the flowerbeds. He remembered 'camping' out there under what little stars they could see past the light pollution and there'd been too many barbecues to count. But even those thoughts couldn’t bring a smile to his face as he pointedly ignored his youngest aunt’s efforts behind him. She’d set up shop at the wrought iron deck table and was passing a scrying crystal over a city map, the world map, and even a picture of the solar system. He even ignored Phoebe when she walked into the room, making a few good-natured cracks about her sister's attempts to find their flannel loving brother-in-law. 

The likelihood that they would actually find Leo this way was improbable at best. However, he also knew the sisters had made a career, and quite a reputation, on making improbable situations work to their benefit. That made him nervous. If he was being truthful, now that he had a rapport with the sisters, he’d be able to continue his work if Leo came back. The problem was he knew the man was going to make his life hell. He needed to be able to move freely and scope out the underworld on his own schedule. Not the schedule of surveillance Leo had already threatened to put him under.

"What's your problem?" Phoebe asked him suddenly and he jumped a little, shocked from his dark musings.

"Huh?" he asked, genuinely confused because he hadn’t been paying attention to anything outside of his own head.

"You're nervous, I can feel it," she said simply, walking over to him and eyeing him like a painting that wasn’t complete yet. 

He quickly realized she was unconsciously trying to get more emotional information off him and he shifted the compartments in his mind. For now, his own mediocre empathic abilities could act as a shield against her untrained ones but he needed to find a more viable solution for that. The normal shielding techniques he used were too powerful and they’d be noticed by the Elders if not the other whitelighters. This would require subtlety.  

"Hmm,” Paige teased. “Watch your vibes!"

"I just think,” he said after a brief pause where he looked back and forth between them. “You guys should be focusing on helping Piper, not Leo."

"Ha! I was right!" Phoebe yelled triumphantly and he spared her a second’s glance but said nothing.

"Hey! Finding Leo could help us with Piper," Paige argued and the fact that she was right made him frown. Why couldn’t Leo have just gone off quietly into his imprisonment? Why did he have to break Piper to the point that it was imperative they find him?

"Well, then you better find another way because you are not going to find him." He snapped vehemently and they both stared at him, stunned by the resentment in his voice. Instantly he realized how awful he sounded, "I mean, you haven't found him yet, have you? I'm telling you, you just gotta leave it up to the Elders, alright? Just let it go."

"Let it go, he's Wyatt's father?" Paige admonished.

"And our brother-in-law," Phoebe added in quick succession

"Ex-brother-in-law,” he corrected and the look Paige gave him was dangerous. Time to spin like the top he’d become here, “Look, I'm just trying to get you two to focus on your sister, that's all. Because with her powers messed up, you're all at risk."

"He's right," Paige sighed dropping the crystal and sitting down, looking defeated.

"I know but if Leo did do something to block Piper's pain, how do we unlock it without him?" Phoebe asked the room, looking as beaten as her sister.

"A magical laxative!" Paige exclaimed and Phoebe looked disgusted. He, on the other hand, was intrigued by the concept. If there was a magical block then the idea could work. It was actually brilliant but then she was known for that, "Well think about it. If we can write a spell to help Piper remember her pain, I dunno, it could even help us find Leo."

Phoebe nodded her head and walked quickly over to the house phone so she could cancel her date with Chad. The two of them watched her and he raised an eyebrow as his middle aunt angrily asked the person on the line if Chad was there at all. Then she hung up and was livid as she explained that the DJ had stood her up. Remembering his childhood, he whistled quietly, knowing the hell that Chad had just brought upon himself. 

"Wait...weren't you just calling to cancel on him?" he asked, unable to help himself because this kind of situation honestly confused him. He’d only been fifteen at the time of The Fall and a prisoner well before that. As a result, he had never had any serious, normal, romantic relationships in the way that his aunts had. That made the rituals of dating and being stood up just so…foreign to him.

"Yes! But I called  _ him _ , that's canceling! He called the restaurant, that's standing up!" Phoebe said, explaining the concept to him like he was an idiot or a thoughtless man more likely. Paige nodded her head in agreement, swinging her crystal over the maps again.

"Oh," he said leaning back slightly, realizing he'd stepped on a proverbial landmine and said no more while the woman tore out of the house on a mission. 

In her wake, she left he and Paige behind to deal with the spell for Piper. He asked his aunt if she needed any help, and she laughed at him. Then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by saying that the day she needed a student-lighters help writing a spell was the day she quit being a witch. He laughed with her, though he knew he did a poor job disguising the sneer on his lips as a smile. She didn’t seem to notice and instead grabbed a pen and notepad before heading up into the attic, leaving him alone and to his own devices. He let out a long breath now that he was alone and decided that food was his best option. He hadn’t eaten since sometime yesterday and he was starting to feel the effects of hunger wearing down his body and his mood. 

In the fridge, he found some kind of pork leftovers and threw them in the microwave to heat up. As his meal cooked, he quickly folded the towels Piper had mentioned and was able to finish just before the timer went off. Then he chewed his food thoughtfully as he mulled over his options before turning off the stove that held the casserole he realized they’d almost let overcook. The most likely end to this was that Leo was going to come back and he’d have to deal with him. Not that he liked that conclusion and he’d fight it every step of the way, but he also had to be a realist about this too. The sisters would never give up on finding the man and that would end up becoming an even bigger distraction from his mission than if he was here being an annoyance. 

He'd just put the dishes away when Piper’s cheery voice called for help from the front door. There he found her surrounded by babies whose parents hadn't been able to pick them up on time from daycare. He was carrying in the last bundle of joy into the conservatory when Paige finally descended the stairs. She was surprised by the brood and then tried one last time to make her sister react to Leo’s disappearance. When all she received was the same carefree response they glanced at one another.      

"Is that the memory spell?" he asked walking up to Paige after setting the last of the kids down.

"Yeah," Paige nodded as they watched an oblivious woman play with infants.

"Cast it," he ordered with a nod. Now that her powers were on the fritz because of her emotional state, this baby-voiced version of Piper had officially outlived her usefulness as an agreeable demon hunter.  

_ Power and emotions tied _

_ A witch’s heart is where it hides _

_ Help her through her agony _

_ Bless her with her memory _ __   
  


Chris tilted his head as the magic spun around her, something was wrong. Something was off with the flow of the energy but he couldn't put his finger on what that was, "Piper, you ok?"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Piper asked in a light voice as she watched them with vacant eyes. Chris closed his eyes and threw his head back, letting the absurdity of the moment wash over him. Then he leveled a fearsome glare at Paige. 

"Very funny," the redhead said with a nervous laugh.

"Aww, cute!” Piper simpered, as babbling from Wyatt behind her caught her attention, “Yours?"

"No, yours," Paige replied still clinging to denial while he continued to glare at her.

"Mine?! What do you mean-” She laughed loudly at the absurdity of that statement, then a thought seemed to occur to her and she looked not a little bit frightened. “Wait...who am I? What am I doing here?"

"Great Paige!” he exclaimed gesturing at Piper and then he snatched the spell out of her hand. “You didn't restore her memory, you erased it!"

"That's impossible! It's a good spell! I know it! Unless…” she paused and winced like a young child caught making a mess. “It interacted badly with Leo's magic..." 

He sighed forlornly and rubbed his forehead, that would explain the disruption he'd felt. It had to be Leo’s Elder magic interacting with the spell, typical, the man wasn't even here and he was screwing everything up. Then, as if things weren’t bad enough, Piper blew up a potted plant trying to swat at a fly.

She instantly panicked and Paige tried to calm her down, while he had more immediate concerns, "Just don't point at anything! Ok, just - keep your hands down. Like this...ok?"

Piper looked back and forth between them trying to stay calm but it was an act at best. "Can somebody please tell me what's going on?"

"We're going to tell you that," Paige grabbed Piper's shoulders in what she intended to be a comforting gesture and towed the confused woman away into the parlor "Just as soon as we know ourselves. Ok, you come in here and have a seat and, ah, take a load off. Yea, and keep those down"

The look on his face was exasperated as she walked quickly back to him, "Ok, don't freak out because magic got us into this and magic will get us back out."

Like icing on the proverbial cake, Wyatt started to cry and he glanced at the infant over Paige’s head. That powerful pull to comfort him was back again but he ignored it. It was a decision that always did and would put him in a bad mood. It went against his nature and their bond. It was the same for Wyatt and was why, even when he’d had the opportunity, his brother hadn’t been able to follow through and actually kill him. They were each other’s Achilles heel and they both knew it.  

Paige, too focused on the current crisis, also ignored his cries and the little blonde realized no one was coming. So he did what any young child who didn’t understand the basics of morality would do. He orbed a pacifier into his mouth from a younger girl in the playpen with him. Chris frowned, not liking the idea of his brother taking what he wanted from someone else. A trait Chris knew his version had never grown out of. Paige noticed too and instead of reprimanding him for taking something that didn’t belong to him, it gave her an idea instead. Quickly she grabbed Wyatt and almost ran over to the maps and crystal, claiming she knew how to find her brother-in-law. 

“Leo?” Chris was incensed, his mother was memoryless and all Paige could think about was finding his fucking father. Which in and of itself was a whole other bit of awful he didn't want to get into, "Will you please forget about Leo?"

He heard Phoebe walk into the house and winced when she started to excitedly tell her sister about her newly discovered ability. She’d realized it herself now and he wondered when exactly his problems would stop compounding in on themselves. What the hell was going on today, why had the universe suddenly turned against him? 

He knew that Piper had no idea what her sister was talking about and he tried to stop his aunt from rambling at the clueless woman. Only to be brushed off and shushed so he just stood back with his hands on his hips and waited for her to have the realization herself.

"I am an Empath," She declared proudly standing with her shoulders thrown back and arms flared out dramatically. "That's my new power - or at least an advancement of my premonition power, I don't know."

"Neither does she, I'm afraid, know that is, anything," he quipped cutting off her proud little spiel and Phoebe looked at him like he'd just grown two heads, "Paige erased her memory."

"Can you blow things up too?" Piper asked her voice a mixture of inquisitiveness and incredulity. 

"Oh, boy," Phoebe giggle nervously for a split second before her face became dark and she stormed into the conservatory after her younger sister. "Paige!"

"What did you do to our sister?" She cried walking into the room and Paige was right where he left her, using Wyatt's blood tie to his father to find Leo. He glared at the red-haired woman because that was brilliant and would very likely work. He could only hope the ensuing fight between the two sisters would distract her. Only Phoebe seemed to react to her sister’s proximity and she bent over double. With a comforting simper she placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder, "Oh, you poor dear, you feel awful about it, don't you? I'm so sorry."

He was floored when Paige thanked the short haired woman and a fight seemed the furthest thing from either of their minds. "That's it? That's all the ass-kicking you’re going to dole out? You're supposed to be sisters!"

Phoebe looked appalled, "she's clearly devastated about this."

"But you can't let her off the hook! You need her to have enough guilt to fix it."  He said just as the crystal in Paige’s hand landed on Valhalla's location in the middle of the Indian Ocean. He rolled his eyes heavenward. He was going to have to let his father out of prison earlier than he wanted. It was a task he detested the mere concept of, it wasn't as if his father had ever done the same for him.

"I mean nothing's more important to Leo than him," He heard Paige say, catching the tail end of her statement as he pushed down his self-pity. She carried Wyatt back to his playpen and Chris could think of thirty things, off the top of his head, that were more important to Leo than his sons. "Let’s go!"

"Go? Go where?" he asked trying to make the plan sound like the stupidest idea on the face of the planet. He was fighting a battle he'd already lost but that had never stopped him before. Lost causes were kinda his thing. He was too much like his mother in that respect. "It's pointing to the middle of the Indian Ocean."

"There must be something there, I trust Wyatt," The redhead said with a shrug of her shoulders and the sentiment made him flinch.

"This is crazy -" he started to yell but his short haired aunt grabbed his shoulder.

"Chris. She's feeling really strongly about this.” Phoebe said holding up her hand to silence and pacify him. Then she walked over to her sister and grabbed her hand happily, “I have a new power!"

"Oh, and could you take the dogs back for me? Addresses are in the book!" Paige said gleefully as she orbed her sister and herself away from him, ignoring his calls of warning.

Frustrated, overworked, and overtired he kicked one of the many toys around the room into a wall. It hit with a loud bang that startled Wyatt and he raised his shield. Chris scowled at him and scoffed, remembering the hell his adult version had put him through, "If anyone should be protecting themselves it's me from you!"

They eyed one another and he felt that inquisitive touch on the wall between them again. Instantly his shoulders sagged and the anger bled out of him. Footsteps caught his attention and he looked away to see Piper inspecting pictures on the walls. Not having anything better to do while his aunts were away and his mother was useless, he decided to get rid of the dogs he could hear still bouncing around and barking up in the attic. It took him an hour to find all the homes but one and he magically sent them back to cut down on time. Then he moved his mother to her room, hoping to jog her memory. He'd just left her when the sisters came home and he found them looking through the book in the dining room.

"You could have been killed, you know that!" He yelled, the truth of that statement scaring him a little. He knew the Valkyrie and they didn't suffer intruders well. The only reason he himself hadn't been killed for it was because he'd had a dispensation from the future. A dispensation that was most likely useless now that they'd caused the deaths of two high-ranking warriors. 

"We were thinking of finding Leo," Paige sneered and Phoebe paced around the back of her chair, "which we actually did if that matters to you." 

"I can't believe this, it's like neither of you are taking this very seriously!" he snapped after they joked about the clothing Leo was wearing and Chris thought a blood vessel in his brain was going to pop. The last dog he couldn't find a home for apparently didn't like his tone and growled at him. He glared at Paige, "Hey! Do you mind?!"

"Well I can't help it if he doesn't like you very much!" the redhead said and then gave him a sassy look. "Besides weren't you supposed to take him home?"

"I tried," he defended himself and then snorted, "The owners weren't home. Besides - the dog? - he's not my job. He's yours."

"I know. Don't remind me." Paige sighed as she sat back in her chair, distraught at the state of her employment. The dog barked again and she decided to have mercy on him. "Hey! Oscar lay down!"

"Aw he likes you," Phoebe teased and Paige made a quip about her powers making her sensitive to the feelings of animals but the psychic brushed it off. "So where's Piper?"

"I put her in her room hoping it might jog her memory because nobody else seems to be trying to." He said in a tone meant to insult them and the way Phoebe winced told him that he’d hit his mark with at least one of the sisters. Paige was too absorbed in her book search to have noticed his slight. 

"Here it is!" Paige said interrupting a brewing fight between the two. "A race of demi-goddesses who scout battlegrounds looking for dying warriors then take their souls to Valhalla where they prepare them for the final world battle. Valkyries, huh?"

"Does that mean they’re good?" Phoebe asked.

"How can they be good, if they've got Leo?" Paige asked back, equally as lost based on the Valkyries actions. 

"And how did they even get Leo?” Phoebe asked bouncing the question back. “He's not a dying warrior, he's an Elder."

"Look,” Chris watched them, tapping his fingers impatiently on the chair he was leaning on. “Why don't you guys concentrate on helping Piper and I'll go fill in the Elders and see what they want to do."

"Chris,” Phoebe admonished. “We don't have time for that, we have to go back for Leo, now!"

"Why,” he countered, “it doesn't sound like he's in any kind of trouble."

"He's only stuck in a cage!" Paige yelled, offended on her brother-in-law's behalf.

"They tried to kill us when we tried to save him," Phoebe said and, with anyone else, that would have given him the leverage he needed.

"My point exactly,” he tried, uselessly. “It’s too dangerous. You're not going back!"

"Wait, let me get this straight,” Phoebe said thinking through the situation and not liking the conclusions she was making. “Are you telling me that you'd rather just let Leo rot there? Is that what you're saying?"

Yes, he thought to himself, yes he would very much love to leave Leo to rot in that cell. But he couldn't say that without telling them the whole story and that wasn't an option, "No, but-"

"He needs our help," Phoebe said definitively.

"Not to mention he may be the only way we have to save Piper," Paige added.

Chris stared at them and then sighed, finally giving in. This wasn't a battle he could win. It irked him to just give up but if he fought any further it was going to become suspicious. As it was, he was toeing the line. He knew what he had to do and it was going to kill him to do it. "You can't orb into Valhalla undetected. The only way to get there safely is with a Valkyries pendant - but that still won't get you close enough to Leo, he's too well guarded. "

"How do you know all this?" Paige asked and he wasn’t sure if she was interested in his life or if she was suspicious of the amount of knowledge he had.

_ I was trained by one and another was my main strategists, _ he thought to himself but said to them. "Because I've crossed paths with them before. In the future. Anyway, I can get you the pendants but the only way to get close to Leo is by proving to the Valkyries you’re one of them."

"How are we supposed to do that?" The short haired sister asked with a disparaging laugh.

"Easy, just arrive with a warrior’s soul,” He said, his eye carefully blank and his emotions pushed down as far as they would go. He knew what he had to do. 

The pendants were the easiest way in. The other was to show up with his leadership medallion but he wasn't going to give them that. The girls were stunned by that announcement and then they complained, trying to make him do all their work for them. But he ignored them, brushing them off as they’d done so many times to him the last day and left. They wanted to do this against his judgment? Then they were going to have to help him with collecting the necessities. As it was he was the one doing the hard part, the dirty part.

He landed on top of the Transamerica Pyramid in downtown San Francisco then closed his eyes and focused. There were so many impressions and energy signatures in the city that most would have been overwhelmed by them. Not him. His ability to compartmentalize was impressive and he focused on only what he needed to, blocking out everything else. It helped him cut through the pandemonium. That was how he found a noble soul quite suddenly on the verge of death and orbed into the sewers below. He watched, with mild interest, as the injured officer’s assailant ran by his shadowed entry spot and then waited for her.

He didn’t have to wait long before a dark skinned and beautiful woman walked out of a glowing blue portal. She moved to stand over the injured man, a kind smile on her lips, "It's ok. You're a brave warrior, I'm going to take care of you."

"I don't think so Lesa, not this time," he interrupted her and orbed into the open area. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she stood to face him. She didn’t trust him, as well she shouldn’t.

"My plans have changed, unfortunately,” he took a deep breath, he had to do this. There was no other way to get a Valkyrie pendant as the power only transferred after the death of the previous owner. Without them, the sisters couldn’t get into Valhalla without killing themselves. No amount of pleading with Freya from him was going to change that, it was the rules, and he couldn’t just have them let Leo go. The timing would be too suspicious. No this was the only way to do this and keep his cover. They were on a mission and nothing was going to stop that, he had to help them or he’d lose everything. “The witches, they found Leo sooner than I would have liked."

"That's not my problem,” she said confused about why he was talking to her instead of to Freya or another one of the elites. Lesa was a lesser Valkyrie, one that didn’t make it long, one that wouldn’t be missed. As awful as the thought was, it was why he’d chosen her, “We kept our end of the deal."

"I know, and I'm forever grateful," he closed his eyes briefly and pushed all his emotions into the deepest part of his psyche. "But I can't risk them finding out what I'm up too. I'm truly sorry."

He meant the words. 

He meant them more than she could ever understand as he lifted his hand and squeezed it into a fist. Instantly she began choking and trying to breathe past the pressure he was exerting on her throat and heart. He wanted to cry. This wasn't him. He didn't do things like this. He wasn't a cold blooded murderer. He didn't kill people. Demons, warlocks, and every other evil creature under the sun, sure, why the hell not. But not friends, not allies, not people who trusted him, not beings on the side of good. That was his brother's way of doing things. This was something his brother would have done.

"Forgive me," he whispered brokenly as he grabbed the necklace and watched her lifeless body fade away. He stared at the green jewel and brown leather trying to remember how many times he’d said over the years that he wasn't Wyatt? That he and Wyatt were nothing alike? That he was better, not broken and corrupted? But, when it came down to it, apparently he had been broken because he  _ had  _ just killed her. Yet, as he finally rose and looked down at the wounded officer who stared up at him with terrified eyes, he decided that he wasn't completely lost. 

"Officer down, Eighth Avenue sewer, we need an ambulance," he murmured into the man's radio and then stood to walk away. He needed to find two more Valkyrie he knew died in his brother’s initial purge of their people. He wouldn’t risk killing any of the ones he’d known in the Resistance. His people in the future would need those warriors until he could set time right, if he could set time right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris has two serious arguments with members of his family


	11. Trust and Treachery

It took him less than an hour to complete his task and that meant he got back to the house before the girls. This gave him the time he needed to work on the other difficult aspect of this plan, namely his amnesiac mother. She wasn’t truly aware enough to be going on a mission like this but his aunts would need her help and she was going to get into trouble if he didn’t do something. Not that her sisters seemed to care, only interested in running forward with their plans, blinders on. It took him a minute to find her upon his return and he was further concerned when he realized where she was. She was in her room, right where he’d left her, looking a lot like a lost puppy sitting on her bed staring at a photo album. From his angle, he could just make out the sisters faces on one of the images and she gazed up at him with wide eyes as she gestured at the book.

“I guess I do know the women from downstairs.” She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the image again. Now that he was closer he recognized it, it was a family photo taken a few weeks after his brother’s birth. “This man here, I see him in a lot of these, who is he?”

“He’s,” Chris drew out the word thoughtfully. “At the moment he’s not really that important, what is important is what’s going to happen next.”

She seemed genuinely interested and he quickly launched into an explanation of the Valkyrie, why she was one, and how she should act. It was incredibly easy for him to convince her of the lie and when he put the necklace on her, it was like Piper completely disappeared and a stranger was left in her place. "Just remember everything I told you and you'll be fine, ok?"

"Ok we got the-” Phoebe stopped short and the look of horror on her face made him smile a little. “Oh my god what did you do to Piper?!"

Chris ushered them away from the newly indoctrinated woman so that their conversation wouldn’t counteract the quick, barely working, programming he’d done. It would very likely be as easy to undo his work as it was to convince her in the first place."I turned her into a Valkyrie and convinced her she's one too. Actually, it wasn't that hard considering her mind is basically a blank.”

“But why?” Paige asked, looking at her sister with something like pity in her eyes.

“Because you might need the power of three to get Leo out of Valhalla,” he could tell from their expressions that the thought hadn’t occurred to them and they were a little embarrassed about it. “And this is the only way to get her  _ into _ Valhalla” 

“Well if Piper ever gets her memory back she's gonna  _ kill _ you,” Phoebe teased, almost singing the last part of the statement.

“Why?” he asked trying to pretend he didn’t already know the answer.

“She hates wearing those costumes as much as we do!” Paige groused like she knew what was coming.

“Yeah?” he asked, then held out his hands so that they could see the other two necklaces he’d acquired for them. “Well, in that case, you're going to kill me too.”

Once the sisters were properly, and grudgingly, attired they left and he found himself alone with nothing to do but wait. He could look through the book again and add more demons to his list but he decided against it. He’d been doing that so much lately that he was beginning to think he was overlooking things with his constant reading. Things that someone looking at the information fresh would notice; like reading the same paragraph in an essay so many times you don’t see the spelling errors anymore. He needed a mental vacation, just for a day or so and then he’d be back on it with fresh eyes. 

In the kitchen he found a pad of paper and, sitting at the island, he started to draw different symbols in various combinations. Most of them wouldn’t work, and in reality, he was essentially doodling, but more often than not useful things came out of his free drawing sessions. He saw patterns and answers in things most people only thought of as shapes. It was his gift and he paused in the middle of drawing one symbol as something occurred to him. Quickly he turned to another page and, organizing it with several others he knew and made himself another protection charm. This one would be effective at preventing rotting in food within its sphere of influence and he smiled tapping his pen on the table. 

Of course, a design like this was useless in a world that had refrigerators, but, like with so many he’d made over the last few months, he still kept it. If his life had taught him anything it was that he needed to be a boy scout about things all day, every day. Who knew what his future would hold and he  _ had _ been looking for a way to get back to his people if only to check that his actions had been making a difference. Except, for all he tried to convince himself, he knew he was essentially fighting the tide. Demons were like a hydra’s head, kill one and another five pop up in their place. Wyatt’s ranks had always been a mercurial hodge-podge of forces as demons jockeyed for power over one another. It was way Zack had always been able to infiltrate as far as he could into the hierarchy with his various glamours. No, outside of the universe finding ways to compensate for the little changes, that fact alone should mean the status quo in his time was very likely the same as when he left it. It would take something big, like saving Wyatt or his never being born, to change that world in any big way. He just had to bide his time and kill as many demons as he could until he found the right one. 

It was at the hour and a half mark that Chris started to get worried. They should have been back by now even if they’d run into problems. Finally, he couldn’t stand the tension anymore and stood to clean up his work area, pocketing the few usable things he’d made while burning the scraps in the sink. That done he put away the leftover laundry from that morning before pacing for a while, got a drink, and was seriously considering heading to Valhalla to talk to Freya when the energy levels shifted in the house. 

“Jesus! It's about time I was starting to get wo-worried.” He hesitated and then paused when he noticed there were three people in the room instead of four. Instantly his heart sank to his feet, something had gone wrong, “Where's Piper?”

“You son of a bitch!” Leo yelled and Chris was so surprised that he just barely managed to stop himself from deflecting, and retaliating against, the punch the older man threw at his jaw. If it had been anyone else they would have found themselves on the ground and bleeding profusely for even attempting such a thing. But because of his audience, Chris was forced to endure the throbbing cheek and forearm pushed against his windpipe. They couldn’t learn how well trained he really was, “Why did you do it?!”

“Do what?” he asked, choking out the question but that only seemed to infuriate his attacker. 

The next thing he knew, he was thrown across the room by the Elder’s magically enhanced strength. As he flew through the air he just managed to catch the edge of one of the arm chairs with his hand and used the brief leverage it gave him as a fulcrum to subtly control his fall. As a result, he hit and broke the table he crashed into with the sole of his boot instead of his lower back. It was a move that was only visible to someone who was watching for it and, while the fall did still hurt, at least it hadn’t paralyzed him.  

“Leo stop it!” Paige yelled as Phoebe looked on horrified, hands over her mouth. 

The expression on Leo’s face was familiar. He’d seen it many times on his brother’s and Chris’ heart sped up. He wanted to be anywhere but here as phantom pains, both real and remembered, seized him. In a panic, he tried to flee but Leo caught his orbs and threw him across the room again, this time through the wedding memorabilia cabinet in the corner. It wasn’t as bad as the time he’d been thrown through a wall and then stabbed, but it did hurt a lot.

“Leo enough!” Phoebe ordered, jumping in front of her brother-in-law who was trying to come after him again. “This hostility is killing me!”

“What is wrong with you?! Have you've been playing gladiator too long?” Paige snapped as she moved toward his prone body but he waved her away as he stood slowly on his own. 

He could feel sharp pains in his lower back where pieces of glass had cut him and his most likely heavily bruised shoulder pulsed with his heartbeat. Chris cursed quietly, this was bad, there were things on his back and shoulders, tattoos and scars, that he didn't want them to see even if Leo was willing to heal him. Thankfully he knew from experience that his black shirt would hide the blood stains, for the moment anyway.

“You didn’t tell them did you?” Leo accused and he blinked, not sure what the other man was referring to. Did he actually know something, or was he just suspicious? Unsure he opted to say nothing rather than let himself be trapped by his answer. 

“Tell us what?” Phoebe asked looking back and forth between them. She’d positioned herself in such a way, that if Leo tried to come after him again he wasn’t going to get very far.

“That he was the last one to see me,” Leo snarled, moving to take a step forward and Phoebe stopped him. His father worked his jaw as he glared at his sister-in-law, upset by her interference. “Right afterwards I was mysteriously trapped in Valhalla.”

“Oh, so that makes me responsible?” Chris scoffed, his voice pitched up to sound offended while he moved to stand in the archway that connected the parlor to the sitting room. Doing his best to keep his back out of sight, “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Why would Chris do that?” Paige asked and he knew she was trying to think of any instance where that kind of deceptiveness would make sense. He knew she wouldn’t find any. He’d been exceptionally careful not to make the sisters suspicious of his motives or intentions toward them. Only the fact that he hid his inability to heal could be considered strange but even that was easily brushed off as embarrassment on his part.  

“Why else, to get rid of me,” Leo looked unconvinced by his deflection, still almost snarling at him.

“That doesn't make any sense.” Paige countered and he let out a small breath. He may drive her crazy but even so, she didn't think him capable of what he  _ had _ done, it was convenient if nothing else. The realization sent a trickle of guilt through him but he pushed the feeling away. What he was doing was for her benefit as much as everyone else’s. 

“Doesn’t it?” Leo snapped as he looked at her. “He manipulated things so that I'd become an Elder, forced me out of the house didn't he?”

Both sisters seemed to take that into consideration and he knew he had to turn the conversation away from that line of thinking and quickly. So, putting on his best ‘I’m innocent’ face, he angrily defended himself. “So. That. You. Could. Save. The. World.”

“Alright, Leo, look I know how upset you are and when I say I know, I mean I literally know.” Phoebe put a hand to her chest and a comforting hand on his shoulder. “But you're way off base here.  Chris has been the model whitelighter since you've been gone. He's done nothing but good.”

“He's sent us after so many demons. If anything he's almost been too good,” Paige added snidely and he gave her a flat look, which she returned in kind.

Phoebe just rolled her eyes at the almost daily repartee now and focused back on Leo, “He's the reason we were able to save you.”

“You're welcome,” he sneered still holding his throbbing shoulder and shifted his back, feeling the wetness of his blood-soaked clothes clinging to his skin. He was going to start dripping on the floor soon if he wasn't already.

“Where'd you get the pendants?” Leo asked in an accusatory manner and Chris felt the blood drain from his face.

The memories came back to him and the guilt and the anger at what he’d had to do to keep his cover threatened to drown him for an instant. Chris breathed rapidly, on the verge of either laughing or crying, he wasn't sure which, when Phoebe actually yelled at his father in his defense, "Leo!"

“Alright… alright, I'll let it go, for now,” he said and it was obvious to everyone that he wasn’t happy about that decision, then his face softened. “So where's Wyatt, can I see him?”

“You can't. He's staying with Sheila until we can figure out how to rescue Piper,” Paige said compassionately as she came up to him and placed a hand on his other shoulder.

“Which will be hard because she doesn't want to be saved,” Phoebe added looked both upset and annoyed.

“Well if we're going to save her it's going to have to be as witches, not Valkyries.” the two sisters shared a look of agreement and then pulled the pendants off at the same time, “Book of Shadows.”

That agreed, the two women walked away, leaving him alone with his glaring father. Annoyed, and in pain, Chris didn’t say a word just orbed himself into the upstairs bathroom. Quickly he used the mirror to see where the glass was and used his powers to yank it out, an easy, if painful, task given the training he's undergone. Then pulled a bottle of bright blue liquid out of his pocket, in a vial spelled to be unbreakable, and downed the contents. Lastly, he focused on the wet fabric of his shirt to transfer the blood from it into the sink where he washed it down. For a moment he leaned heavily against the counter, as his back burned like a brand had been pressed against it and breathed through the pain until it became bearable. Finally, he orbed up into the attic, reaching it just after the sisters and a few minutes before his father who’d decided to change before joining them. 

"I don't understand why we don't just storm the place and find her," he sighed as one aunt searched the book and the other rocked in her seat. Normally he’d be against a frontal assault but he was getting desperate. Piper couldn’t stay in Valhalla much longer. Not only did his own existence depend on saving her but it was only a matter of time until someone slipped up and mentioned him.   

"Because they would be expecting it that's why it’d be suicide," Leo replied and Chris vaguely wondered if he was being difficult just to be difficult. 

“We got you out safely didn't we?” he snapped back trying to hide his true feelings about how he felt out of his tone.

"But it cost us, Piper," Leo said, his voice condemnatory as if the blame for that loss was solely resting on Chris’s shoulders. When he was the one who hadn’t wanted them to go in the first place.   

“Ok you guys, would you knock it off?!” Phoebe half yelled half whimpered. “I'm still reeling from Piper’s emotions, I don't need this!”

Chris dropped his shoulders and bit his lip, he knew how it felt to be a new empath. It was unpleasant, to say the least being unable to control what you felt, never really knowing if what you were feeling was your own emotions or someone else's. And his gift hadn't even been a quarter of the power she possessed, "sorry."

It helped that he had enough skill to project his sincerity, while still guarding his other emotions and feelings. She gave him a slight nod then she turned back to the others, “So how's it goin'?”

“I am almost done,” Paige hesitated, “um, I don't mean to burden you with my emotions but I don't quite see how reversing the memory spell is going to help.”

The look in Phoebe’s eyes was sad, “Piper needs to believe that she is a Valkyrie because it's too painful for her to be herself, way too painful, believe me. I almost passed out back there.”

“Well then believing she's a Valkyrie is the perfect option.” Chris agreed, nodding his head thoughtfully. There were many times in the past that he’d wished he could live like his Valkyrie subordinates. Times when his brothers ‘gifts’ to him had made it hard to function, “To serve the greater good they’re always in control and they don't have to deal with pain and loss.” 

“That's why we have to make Piper believe she's Piper again.” Phoebe finished with a nodded and there was a slight gleam in her eyes that told him she’d picked up on at least some of his feelings on the matter. Though she clearly didn’t understand their significance. If she had, she would have called him on it, “If we don't get her back mentally, it won't matter if we get her back physically.”

Paige snorted and then tilted her head, “Piper wasn't exactly back before the spell either.”

“What do you mean?” Leo asked and Chris looked away so that they couldn’t see the frustration mixed with amusement in his eyes.

“Well,” the youngest said with a dramatic flair to her voice.  “That little magic wammy you performed on her kind of, um, backfired.”

“Yeeeaaah, after you left Piper was really....” Phoebe heisted, not really sure how to describe the unstoppable storm of happiness and carefree sunshine that his otherwise grounded mother had become.

“Chipper!” Paige finished and he could see her irritation from earlier coming back with the way she nodded her head and gave them a forced smile. “Yeah, incessantly, increasingly, annoyingly chipper.”

“What she said,” Phoebe nodded, waving in her sister’s direction in an almost comedic fashion. 

“Well it was supposed to make her feel less pain,” his father hesitated as he looked back and forth between the two women who were sharing a look, clearly reliving some of his wife’s’ exploits over the last few months. “I guess with me not around to pull it back a little bit she got happier and happier.”

“Um, no,” Paige admonished, clearly feeling like that description didn’t do the situation justice, and considering Piper had thought getting thrown into a wall yesterday morning was an ‘awesome’ experience, he had to agree. “Psychotically chipper.”

“Way to go!” Chris jeered, clapping his hands in mock appreciation. That wonderful little spell was the only reason the sisters had started asking questions about Leo and his whereabouts. Without it, Leo would still be in that cage and he wouldn’t have been thrown through a cabinet. He felt a little bit of snide commentary was due in the face of that, no matter how childish.

“Chris!” Phoebe sighed exasperatedly with him this time and rolled her eyes before rubbing her temples.

“What?” he asked defensively, knowing that what he’d just done was wrong; but still not feeling all that bad about it.  

“I swear my new power is going to drive me crazy,” She groaned laying her head down on the back of the chair momentarily.

“You'll get the handle of it,” Leo said tightly, his glaring gaze shifting from the young man before him to his sister-in-law where it softened.  “Just be patient.”

“Are you sure?” She replied weakly, and he could hear something like muted fear in her voice. “Because I remember Prue almost being destroyed that time she was an empath.”

“She wasn't supposed to become one, you are. Maybe all this with Piper is making it happen a little bit sooner but you can handle it,” He smiled encouragingly at her and she returned the look. Chris frowned as he watched them interact. “I know you can.”

“I just wish I knew how to turn it on and off, I feel like I'm at the mercy of everyone else’s feelings and it sucks,” Chris shifted a little and clamped down on his mental shielding again. He knew how to turn it on and off,  _ she’d _ taught him that and he could teach her. Only then he’d have to admit that he was empathic and that was something he shouldn’t be. Even if he’d been one in life, becoming a whitelighter should have revoked those abilities.

“Brightside,” Paige said trying to cheer up the sullen room. “Now you can actually find out how Jason feels about you.”

“But what if it's not good news?” Phoebe asked giving her sister a grateful little smile for her effort.

“Hah, then you can dump him before he dumps you!” She replied airily and with a little bit of sass in her tone. It made Phoebe laugh and he chuckled quietly to himself as well. His father stood back watching the three of them with thoughtful eyes he didn’t like. “I think the spell is finished. Oh great-”

Paige cut herself off frustrated when the doorbell rang and the bulldog whose owners he couldn’t find ran into the room to jump on her. His father blinked at the animal, “You got a dog?”

“No, I got a career,” she groused, sounding supremely unhappy.

“Sore subject, don't ask.” he offered to stop the man before he could pour more salt in the proverbial wound. Leo looked over at him and he shrugged unconcernedly by the storm clouds he could see brewing in the older man’s eyes.

The doorbell rang again, interrupting any further conversation and the two sisters ran off to see who it was, leaving the two men alone. They stood there in awkward silence as Chris refused to bow under the glare that was leveled at him. If Leo thought he could ever intimidate him, he was dead wrong. He’d faced scarier things than an upset Elder, namely his enraged brother. Honestly, his father didn’t even make rank on the list of dangerous forces he’d faced over the years. Faced and beaten handily. Poetically speaking, his father’s anger was like breeze on a cloudless day and his brother was like a tornado that just tore a town apart. 

Downstairs they found Morris sitting on the couch and Chris greeted him with a smile. They shook hands and Darryl grimaced while making a funny quip about the beating he’d clearly gotten. It was an interaction his father must have found offensive somehow because one second he was asking him what had happened and the next he was being pushed aside so the Elder could heal the wounded man. He hesitated, wanting to pick a fight, but then shook his head and stormed over to stand by Phoebe. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm and he looked at her. The sympathy in her eyes got to him and he slumped against the archway, arms crossed.    

“You feelin’ better?” Leo asked his patient with the voice of someone who’d once been a doctor. 

“Yea,” Morris sighed in relief, then held out his hand. “Thanks, man, it's good to have you back.”

“Thanks for helping me get back,” Leo replied, taking his old friend’s hand and shaking it. 

“Ah, don't mention it,” Chris snidely cut in and Phoebe swatted at his arm this time like she had when was an errant five-year-old, it made him pout like one.  

Leo barely even spared him a glance and Paige just rolled her eyes before turning back to Morris, “How long after we left did the warriors show up?”

“Not long,” Morris said, his face thoughtful, “maybe a couple of seconds.”

Phoebe looked down and he didn’t have to be an empath to see the guilt, “they must have followed us from Valhalla.” 

“Great!” Paige huffed falling onto a chair with her arms folded, “That means they’re after us now.”

Morris shook his head, “They didn't even hang around long enough to ask me how to find you, granted I was looking at them through swollen eyes but they just seemed lost and confused.” 

“So what, they just took off?” Chris asked as he tried to think of a reason for that behavior. In his time the warriors had been focused and driven, attacking any evil they sensed. They’d also been the perfect squads to send out on the truly dangerous raids because they were already dead. If their current corporal bodies were destroyed the Valkyrie they were tied to were able to summon them back in another.

Darryl looked relieved, “Thank goodness they did because-”

“We should have never put you in that situation,” Phoebe said, voicing the apology for both the sisters and upset that he’d been put in any real danger. “We should have come up with another way.”

“Forget it,” he sighed good-naturedly like it was something he just expected in his life now. Chris had always appreciated his ability to move past things for the sake of friendship, “it worked.”

“For you maybe,” Chris said and he nodded at Darryl, conceding that that was a good thing, “but what about the next person who runs into those warriors, they’re trained  _ killers _ ."

“Yeah but they only kill evil,” Paige said dismissively as Oscar jumped up on her chair and she cuddled him, petting him as he rested on her lap. 

“He's not evil,” Chris countered, pointing at Morris and then rolling his eyes slightly when he noticed she was distracted by the dog.

“Chris is right,” He raised an eyebrow at the pained look on Leo’s face and bit his lip. It looked like it was causing him actual, physical, pain to say that. “Not everything is black and white in this world and the warriors can't always tell the difference between good and evil.”

“What do we do?” Phoebe wondered looking from one face to another.

He ran his tongue along his teeth thoughtfully and Leo placed his hands on his hips nodding to himself, “We have to find them, fast.”

“That shouldn't be too hard,” Darryl said with a shrug and a quirk of his mouth, “they’re going to stand out even in San Francisco

Leo looked frustrated with what they both miraculously agreed was a serious problem. To be honest Chris wanted them to be exposed even less than the Elder, “Which is why we need to move fast, if they’re exposed so are the Valkyries.”

Paige was so surprised she didn’t even try to hide it, “You’re awfully forgiving considering everything they put you through.”

“They still have a noble purpose to perform, keeping their secret is key to helping them fulfill that. Besides, it's not the Valkyries fault that I ended up there.” His father said, throwing the insinuation at him with that angry glower again. At least this time he didn’t look like he was going to launch himself across the room.

“Which brings us back to the warriors,” Chris agreed, ignoring the provocation to focus on something that mattered. Plus, he could tell by the way Phoebe was shifting in her seat that they were both on thin ice and he wasn’t going to be the one who broke it this time.

“And let’s not forget about Piper,” Phoebe sighed at the size of their task.

“Maybe we should split up.” Leo offered reasonably and instantly he was on guard but he couldn’t figure out why. The older man turned to his now healed friend, “You should go to the police station, they’re going to show up on the radar screen in a big way.”

Darryl had just started to stand when the pager on his belt began beeping, “The office is paging me anyway.”

“Alright, make sure you’re the first cop on the scene, we might need you to buy us some time,” Leo said ordering the other man around who simply rolled with the command. Chris’s eyebrows furrowed, he wasn’t sure how he felt about someone who’d worked with him as a partner for years being ordered around like a subordinate by someone like Leo. 

Phoebe stood as the door closed and offered her activity for the rest of the day and he was struck by the fact that she was asking, “Ah, maybe I should go to the newspaper and do the same thing?” 

His father agreed and Chris was frustrated, not even three hours back and already Leo was reasserting control over the family. No wonder they’d been so completely dependent on him during the Titan incident. Apparently, his father was a micromanager when it came to what actions the Charmed Ones took, typical whitelighter really. Paige then stood, the dog jumping to the floor, and started to walk away. “I should take Oscar home before I get fired.”

Her actions confused Leo and he was short tempered enough to be less than eloquent about it, “You're kidding right?”

“No, I promised the temp agency I'd have him back in the morning and,” she shrugged awkwardly then gestured at the windows. On the other side of the room, Phoebe looked uncomfortable, torn between supporting her sister and wanting to do what Leo told them to do. “It's morning, and listen before you say anything, you've been gone, some things have changed. One of those things is that I'm determined now more than ever to have a life separate from being a witch.”

“Fine.” He said slowly as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “but  _ now _ ?

“Yeah! I've already done the reversal spell, can't do it without Piper, and we don't know how to get her so…” She trailed off then shook her head walking out the door. “I'm just an orb away if you need help.”

The look of horror on Leo’s face was gratifying, at least someone else could see how selfishly detrimental their mindset was becoming. Chris might not have liked his father’s style but he didn’t disagree with his intention. “Paige!”

“Let her go,” Phoebe said quietly looking both sad and confident at the same time, “it might seem silly to you but it's important to her,” 

“See!” Chris said cheerfully, trying to make her feel better about her new powers. “It helps to be an empath.”

“No,” she gave him a fond, patient, smile. “it helps to be a sister and while we’re on that subject we need to come up with another plan to help get Piper out of Valhalla.”

Leo watched Phoebe also leave the room and then he turned to Chris, zeroing in on him and grabbing his arm. “She's right, let’s go.”

“Easy!” he yelled as he was forcibly orbed away and straight to what he instantly recognized as Valhalla. Chris was floored, after all, they’d done and lost to get him out of here, Leo had willingly brought them back. 

“Who goes there?” A guard yelled from within the dueling hall and his father literally dragged him inside by the back of his neck.

“What's the matter,” Leo snapped and Chris’s eyes widened, he’d never heard that tone from his father before. Leo sounded like a military leader, not a pacifistic Elder, “Don't you recognize me?

“Leo?” the guard raised an eyebrow and then straightened. “But we'd heard that the witches had broken you out.”

“Disinformation,” The Elder said coolly and then twisted the grip he had on Chris’s neck and hair painfully, making him wince. “an enemy’s favorite tactic, don't fall for it again.”

Chris eyed the older man warily, apparently, Kara had been giving him tactical advice. He didn’t know how he felt about that exactly, but it wasn't anything good. “Sorry, it's just that everyone's a little on edge especially since the alarm has been sounded again.”

“I know, I caught the intruder,” Chris’s head snapped to look at Leo, stunned, but just managed to keep his comments to himself. He’d see where Leo was going with this before he interfered. “Where's Kara, she'll want to question him?”

The guard shrugged, “she went after the warriors who went into the city.”

“And the new Valkyrie?” Leo asked pointedly, seeing a possible opportunity. “Where's she?”

“They took her with them,” Chris cursed quietly to himself, it was a good attempt, he’d give Leo that.

“Alright, then I'll have to question him myself.” Chris gasped just before he was shoved headfirst into the cage, and he stumbled to the other side where he crouched to regain his equilibrium. “Alone!”

Chris watched from the ground as the other warriors wandered away and Leo came into the cage, slamming the door shut behind him. The clang of the door had a finality to it and he watched the Elder pick up two blades and spun one of them around his wrist. Slowly he stood and slipped back a few paces, making his moves as ungraceful as possible, to create room between them.

“What are you doing?” he asked already knowing the answer. He’d been able to sense how much Leo had wanted to get him alone since the sisters had interrupted their last fight if he could call it that. “Leo, what's going on?”

“I'm going to get the truth out of you one way or another,” the older man snarled and they began to circle one another. Quickly he processed his options and realized he had to try and talk this out, he couldn’t get into an honest fight with this man. Leo wasn’t as good a fighter as he was, that much was obvious with just a well-trained glance, but he wasn’t a pushover either. No, the other man was definitely good with a blade and if they fought he’d have to defend himself. He refused to die because his father wanted to throw a hissy fit. Yet, if he did he’d be outing himself. Whitelighters were supposed to be pacifists, if Leo realized he was literally a weapon then he'd do everything in his power to get Chris away from the girls. “No sisters around to help you this time. No orbing, no way out. Just you and me.

“You’re joking right?” he asked as he looked at the blade thrown to his feet with a laugh. He didn’t even have to fake the nervousness in his voice, “I mean shouldn't we be getting back to fill in Phoebe and Paige and to find Piper?”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say and Leo kicked sand at the sword he ignored before pointing his own at him, “I already lost Piper, pick it up.”

“You know this isn't funny anymore,” he snapped, making sure to watch every movement of his attacker’s body, maybe he could dodge his way out of this. “This isn't very Elder-like either.”

Leo looked amused at that idea and the smile on his face was far from comforting, “You know being trapped here fighting for my life has changed me, a lot. Pick it up”

“Forget it!” he yelled and Leo, who’d had enough, kicked a shield at him. 

He caught it, almost without thinking and was just able to slip his arm in the strap before a powerful downward swing landed on it. The impact sent a jolt of pain up his arm and he momentarily forgot himself. This wasn’t an Elder before him, this wasn’t even his father, no, this person before him was just an angry man who was bent on hurting him and he didn’t feel much like being hurt. So in a move that Leo had to have recognized as trained, he grabbed the sword that had been thrown at him and spun out of his crouch, catching the side slash aimed at his stomach. As their swords clashed, their eyes met, and the shock in his father’s expression sent him crashing straight back to Earth. He grit his teeth so hard he heard them crack as he prepared himself for the pain he knew he’d have to endure to fix this and then lunged, forcing himself to do so sloppily. Leo smirked, the previous moment forgotten and most likely choked up to luck before he dodged to the side.

“I didn't do it!” Chris yelled as he lunged at him again. Leo looked positively gleeful as he knocked his poorly held blade away and Chris let it go. His years of instincts, drilled into him by more than one instructor, screamed at him so loudly he only just managed to suppress them. 

Then he further fought them down to show his back to an enemy in an attempt to retrieve his lost weapon. The result was that he ended up sprawling across the sand and Leo was able to jump on top of him, holding him down with a blade to his neck. It was bad but it wasn’t the worst situation he’d been in. He knew five ways off the top of his head that he could get out of such a hold if Leo actually went in for a killing stroke. That knowledge didn’t make him any less nervous though, mistakes, however improbable, were possible. "You can't kill me I'm a whitelighter!"

“No? Then why are you sweating?” Leo taunted leaning down so that their faces were inches from each other. It was an actual struggle to keep his incredulity from showing, to appear to be still frightened. Leo wasn’t intimidating, “I'm going to find out the truth. I'm going to find out who did this to me I promise but right now we're going to catch up with Phoebe and Paige and have a little chat with the Elders.”

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_ The sound of the front door slamming made Chris jump to his feet from his previously prone position on the couch as Wyatt stalked into the room. His brother’s hair was windswept, his eyes dark pools of anger and a snarl curled his mouth as he glared at his brother. Chris felt his breath leave his body at the look, taking an involuntary step back, away from the imposing figure his brother cut in his black jeans and dark gray top, with his fist clenched at his side. Why was he so angry? He’d only talked to Paige an hour ago, had she said something already? Did he know that Chris knew? _

_ " _ **_What_ ** _ do you think you're  _ **_doing_ ** _ Christopher," his brother snapped and then held his hand out as a necklace appeared in it. "I told you not to take this off until we killed the demon who messed with you."  _

_ Chris stared at the necklace he’d taken off to go talk to his aunt, as his brain tried to catch up with the fact that his brother wasn't confronting him on that specifically. Wyatt's face rapidly cleared of anger as his pale brother watched him like a deer in headlights and he could feel the echoes of genuine fear through their bond. _

_ "Chris?" _

_ "Yeah, uh, sorry Wy," he said shaking himself and walking around the couch to grab the chain but Wyatt stopped him by holding it out of reach. "What?" _

_ "Good question, what the hell?" he asked, the younger boy watching him with narrowed eyes as he probed the bond between them. "You were  _ **_afraid_ ** _ of me a second ago." _

_ He said it like Chris had just insulted him, offended him at a basic level, and Chris snorted, "Wy don't be ridiculous, I'm not scared of  _ **_you_ ** _ , the door slamming open, that scared me, drama king." _

_ He rolled his eyes, a gesture that would be typical if him, and then moved to walk away toward the kitchen. He needed a soda to calm his nerves. Well, that's what he would have done if his brother hadn't grabbed his arm, his hand like a brand, "Do you think I'm stupid? I know the difference between you being startled and you being scared." _

_ Chris shrugged his brother off, getting annoyed, and stormed off to the kitchen, why couldn't he just let it go? "Whatever Wyatt, stop being overdramatic. I'm fine and I'll wear that freakin pendant if it will stop the hissy fits." _

_ "…Wyatt? Ok, now I'm definitely not letting it go," Wyatt snapped as he followed him into the kitchen. Chris only ever used his full name when something was wrong, it was a tell his brother had learned years ago, "Why would you be scared of me? What the hell is going on with you? First last week's freak-out and now today! Why are you suddenly scared of me, avoiding me? Because don't think I haven't noticed the avoiding part too." _

_ Chris slammed the refrigerator door shut and it shook slightly as he leveled a glare at his brother, something in him snapping. Paige's warning to not confront him scattering to the four winds. Wyatt wasn't being controlled and he couldn't stand to do nothing. "I'm not avoiding you Wy because you'd have to actually be  _ **_here_ ** _ to be avoided! Which you never are! Why is that brother dearest? Are the  _ **_Elders_ ** _ really keeping you that busy?" _

_"Wait… are you actually complaining about us_ ** _not_** _spending enough time together?" He asked his voice and face incredulous, "Weren't you the one throwing fits because we spent_ ** _too_** **_much_** _time together?"_

_ "No," Chris snapped and various things on the kitchen counters rattled. "I'm asking you where the hell you've been going when you aren't home! Because I know you haven't been with the Elders, I checked." _

_ Wyatt stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen as Chris stared him down, for once the Twice Blessed didn't have a quick comeback or an excuse. His baby brother had been checking up on him, that was  _ **_his_ ** _ job not the other way around. "I -I've been searching for that underworld power the Elders heard about, were you worried? Is that what this is about?" _

_ He was lying. _

_ Wyatt had just lied to him. _

_ "Seriously? You've been hunting all that time?" Chris asked, his voice leveled off, he was giving Wyatt one more chance. One more chance to tell the truth, to be the brother he remembered. _

_ "Yeah, of course," Wyatt said and he could feel the nervousness reverberating through him, "What else would I have been doing?" _

_ "Oh I don't know," Chris replied his voice dripping with sarcasm, hurt, and betrayal, "Maybe planning a hostile underworld takeover with your new friend Azulon."  _

_ Some small part of Chris took great pleasure in the look of utter shock on his brother’s face. Then, of course, panic set in. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have outed himself. The silence and the distance between them was oppressive, it was a stalemate of shock. Neither of them knowing what to do or even say in light of the bomb Chris had just dropped. _

_ "So you know then?" Wyatt said after several minutes of just staring. He sighed and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. "Well it's earlier than I would have liked but I guess it’ll have to do." _

_ "Have to do?!" Chris asked fighting back his fear, fear of what he could see his brother becoming, and grasping onto his anger. “What the hell do you think you're doing hanging out with fucking demons in the underworld?!" _

_ Wyatt gave him a glib look and Chris saw the lie coming before he opened his mouth, "I don't -" _

_ "Stop lying to me!" He yelled and several of the spice containers flew off the shelves. Wyatt jumped at the sound, his eyes flickering between them and his brother. "I followed you! I saw you  _ **_training_ ** _ demons! What the hell is  _ **_wrong_ ** _ with you?!" _

_ "You followed me?" Wyatt hissed, his eyes serious, as he thought of all the ways his brother’s stalking expedition into the underworld could have gone wrong. "What were you  _ **_thinking_ ** _ , the underworld is dangerous!" _

_"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Chris almost screamed, stomping his foot and everything in the kitchen moved several inches. "I see you training a demon like the one that_ ** _killed_** **_mom_** _and you want to talk about the danger I put_ ** _myself_** _in?!"_

_ Wyatt licked his lips nervously as he eyed the clutter around the kitchen warily, most of it was still vibrating, "See this is why I didn't tell you yet. You're too young to understand."  _

_ “Understand? What’s there to understand Wy?” Chris asked, his voice cracking on the words. Did his brother have a reason, was this a plan? Was it possible his brother wasn’t turning into what he feared he was? _

_ Wyatt took a heavy breath and then quirked his mouth weakly in a sad smile before stepping forward as if to place his arm around him. But Chris shifted away and genuine hurt flashed through blue eyes before he could stop it. His brother’s face then became stonelike and he dropped his arm, “Chris, look, I know you’re confused. I get that. I really, really, do. So let’s go into the living room and talk about it, ok?” _

_ Chris hesitated for only a moment before nodding and walking forward, this time when his brother slung his arm around his shoulders he only tensed a little. That seemed to encourage Wyatt and he smiled down at him as they walked into the sitting room. Then Chris was sat down in one of the chairs while Wyatt took up residence in the one across the coffee table from him, sensing that his brother was still uncomfortable with his proximity. It hurt but he’d give the younger boy all the room he needed if it helped him see sense. _

_ “So, what’s your reason?” Chris asked while he sat rigid in his seat with his arms folded, worrying his lip as he watched the other boy.  _

_ Wyatt, who sat sprawled in his seat like a king on his throne, thought for a moment, gathering what he was going to say. This conversation was happening too early, almost a year too early, and he’d been hoping for more time. With more time he could have slowly allowed Chris to come to the same conclusions he had, with some help of course. “Chris, you're right, you saw what you saw, love to know when that was, but I have been training demons.” _

_ “How coul-” Chris started to say, moving to stand, but his brother raised his hand and he suddenly found that he was stuck in his seat. His eyes widened at the implication, his brother was using his powers on him. Outside of joking and training, he’d never done that before. _

_ “Christopher, you’ve spied on and followed me. The least you could do is hear me out before you start throwing accusations,” Wyatt snapped and he was confronted by the cold, calculating, teenager he’d seen the night of his birthday and in the underworld tunnels. This person was not his brother and Chris knew instinctively he wasn’t someone to cross. “Yes, I am training them, but I’m only doing it to keep us safe, to keep the whole family safe. They're like dogs Chris, train them right and you’ll never have to worry about being bit.” _

_ “So you're, what, becoming their boss so no one can order them to attack us?” Chris reasoned slowly. The idea was logical but something about it was off. He’d grown up hearing the stories from his family about how seductive evil could be. Wyatt may have started out with the best of intentions but that wasn’t where he was now. “Ok, I think I get it, but, Wy, dead demons won’t attack us either. Why go through all this trouble when killing them’s just as effective?” _

_ “Well well, little brother’s got a vicious streak,” Wyatt replied, his voice laughing, as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Chris didn’t like the emotions he saw in those eyes but he pushed the warning from the forefront of his mind. He needed to draw his brother out. Something about his explanation was incomplete considering all he’d overheard. Wyatt was planning something, something more than what he’d already done. “The reason, Chris, is because that’s a waste of perfectly good firepower.” _

_ “Perfectly good - why the hell would  _ **_you_ ** _ need firepower Wyatt?” Chris asked gob smacked, “You’re literally the most powerful person in existence!”  _

_ Wyatt laughed, sounding happier and more carefree than he had in awhile, “It’s nice to know I’m still Superman to you. Look, Chris, do you remember when we were kidnapped by those upper-level demons two years ago? Do you remember how helpless we were?” _

_ “Hard to forget,” Chris muttered looking away and glaring into the conservatory. They hadn’t been hurt too badly and the family had come to save them but the fact that Wyatt and Chris’ powers couldn’t save them had rubbed Wyatt the wrong way. His brother always liked to be in control in one form or another. Whether it was being the captain of a sports team or the president of his high school class, if there was a position of authority he could attain, Wyatt wasn’t happy until he had it. “So what? You’re doing all this because some demons got the best of you when you were fourteen?!” _

_ Wyatt gazed at his brother, his expression, one of controlled patience, was unnerving, “Did you know that they were helped by people supposedly on the side of ‘good’? People we trusted, people who were and are still afraid of us? Why do you think that is little brother?” _

_ Chris opened and closed his mouth, shocked at the revelation that they’d been betrayed by someone they trusted, “Who?” _

_ “The telekinesis teacher at magic school,” he said coolly as if he hadn’t just named off the only teacher Chris ever had that hadn’t compared him to his brother. That hadn’t treated him like a cheaper version of a better product, “Mr. Danvers thought we were too powerful, we scared him, so he hired a couple of upper-level demons to get rid of us. When they found out who did it Mom and Dad decided not to tell you. They knew he was your favorite and you were already so upset.” _

_ “But…but that doesn’t make sense,” Chris said, standing up and running his hand through his hair repeatedly. “He was a whitelighter! He was a friend of dads! He’d never do that!” _

_ “He would if power was involved,” Wyatt said, eyes calculating, “You can ask dad if you don’t believe me. I’m sure he’d be surprised you knew, annoyed I told you, and then confirm it. Another reason, I didn’t want you to know yet. You’re still stuck in the fairytale we were spoon-fed as children.”  _

_ “Fairytale?” Chris asked, stopping his pacing and turning back to his disturbingly calm brother. _

_ “Yes, the fairytale about what is ‘good’ and ‘evil’ that the Elders created,” he said as he stood gracefully and walked over. “The story they made, in the beginning, to keep  _ **_themselves_ ** _ in power for so long, a lie that killed our mother.” _

_ “Lie? What are you talking about, what lie?” Chris asked, flabbergasted. “Good and evil are kinda the basic principles of existence, light and dark, yin and yang...” _

_ Wyatt sighed and Chris could feel the disappointment laced with acceptance through their bond, as if that was the expected, but not desired, reaction. “Says who? Oh right, the ones that made the rules, to begin with. No, Chris, they’re really not. That’s a paradigm created by beings in control who never wanted to lose it. The universe isn’t run through concepts, it's run by power. Those that have it rule and those that don’t are slaves, kept down by make believe morals enforced on them since birth.” _

_ Chris couldn’t think of a single thing to say in the face of his brother’s declaration. What could you say when your brother basically quoted, verbatim, the evil manifesto; while telling you it didn’t exist to have a manifesto. A quote from some old cheesy Armageddon action movie filtered through his brain,  _ the greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn’t exist, _ and in that moment he realized that his brother was  _ **_broken_ ** _. If Wyatt really and truly believed what he’d just said then his brother wasn’t just confused. No, he’d been conflicted long before this, now he was corrupted. He wasn’t sure if you could reason with someone corrupted by evil but Chris was damn well going to try.  _

_ “Wy, good and evil do exist.” He said deliberately, not sure exactly how to act around this newly discovered person. What would Wyatt do if he argued too forcefully against his psychosis? “There’s a pretty big difference between kicking a wounded man and healing one.” _

_ “Yes, and you’d have to be in a position of authority over the wounded man to decide which to do.” The blonde replied smoothly without pause as if he’d expected the argument or something similar. Obviously, this was an ideology his brother had thought long and hard about, it was terrifying. “Again, it all comes back to power.” _

_ “No, you can’t do that,” Chris said trying to mirror his brother’s calm demeanor and failing spectacularly. He wasn’t equipped for this, he wasn’t trained. He and his brother had only ever had the normal childish sibling squabbles over the years. Never anything this deep or all encompassing. The feeling in the pit of his stomach reminded him of when he’d first been learning how to swim and he’d gotten tired treading water. At the time he’d been afraid of drowning but his brother and mother had been there to save him. There was no one here to help him now, “You can’t quote the Creed of Evil to me and then tell me it doesn’t exist. You don’t get to have it both ways.” _

_ “I’m not trying to,” Wyatt put his hand on Chris’s shoulder and squeezed slightly, in any other setting it would have been a comforting gesture. “But evil, as it was taught to you, doesn’t exist Chris. What it really is is a resistance against the oppressive rule of the Elders and others like them. Those beings that preach ‘goodness’ and ‘purity’, while doing whatever it takes to keep  _ **_themselves_ ** _ in charge of it all. They commit  _ **_atrocities_ ** _ and cite ‘the great good’ as if it’s some kind of justification.” _

_ Chris wasn’t an idiot. He knew that a good part of what his brother was saying was true, to a point. The Elders were a bunch of sanctimonious pricks, there was no denying that, and he was sure a few of them had, and would in the future, stray from the right path. But a few bad apples in an imperfect world didn’t mean the system as a whole was broken and needed to be torn down. It meant that people, even super-powered ones, were flawed.  _

_ “Wy, a few bastards screwing things up doesn’t mean the world is wrong,” he spoke up, trying again. “What are we even talking about here, what are you…” _

**_“So he’ll be helpful then, with the plans? He’s the one?”_ **

**_Wyatt pursed his lips thoughtfully, “Not yet, he’s still young but the potential is definitely there and we’ve got time. Even if it wasn't, it’s with Chris or no one, and I won't do it alone.”_ **

_ Chris stepped back and his brother’s hand dropped from his shoulder as the memory helped him connect the dots. His brother was building an army, his brother hated the Elders and their world order, and his brother never settled for anything other than being at the top. “You’re going to attack them, aren’t you? The Elders. That’s why you don’t want to ‘waste power’ you need the demons to help you  _ **_kill_ ** _ them?” _

_ Wyatt smiled brightly and his eyes sparkled, the expression made Chris’s heart beat faster, there was something not sane in the light that graced his brother’s gaze. “ _ **_Very good_ ** _ Chris, I knew you’d get it, but thought I’d have to leave a few more hints in the conversation before that. You’re smarter than I think even I’ve given you credit for, I’m sorry about that. I’ll make sure - ” _

**_Before your birth, a choice was made that shouldn't have been and everything’s been slowly spiraling out of control since. We’ve tried to fix it but we failed._ **

_ The words the Angel of Destiny had spoken to him over a month ago came back to him as his brother continued his praise.  _

**_Everyone is born into this world for a reason. Your purpose was to be a balance but when the choice was made you became something else, our failsafe._ **

_This was what she meant and he knew it like he knew his own name. He was born to either balance his brother, to keep him sane, or to stop him if balancing didn’t work. As the weight of the world settled firmly on his shoulders he hadn’t even realized his brother had stopped talking until a finger forced his chin up. They looked into each other’s eyes, both searching for a time, then the panic set in. He couldn’t do this, he wasn’t skilled enough or good enough to deal with something this big. He couldn’t go against or stop the brother who’d loved him and had always taken care of him. He was_ ** _fifteen_** _for god’s sake! He could barely function in a world without his mother, how could the universe expect him to go against his brother now!_ _This was impossible and he needed someone else to come and fix it. Terrified, Chris pulled away completely and, in a rash move he would later consider the biggest mistake of his life, he ran into the Conservatory._

_ “Dad!” He screamed as loud as his lungs could manage, sending out telepathic signals to strengthen the call. “Dad! Come Quick!” _

_ “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Wyatt snapped as he followed behind, his face controlled but Chris could sense the impending storm just under it. _

_ “I’m getting dad to talk some sense into you before you do something stupid,” He yelled and then turned away again to call for their father, missing the resigned look his brother gave him. He did notice, however, when everything in the room began flying in random directions and he was forced to crouch as an energy blast passed him by. The room settled and he stood again, preparing to give Wyatt a piece of his mind, but was forcibly slammed face first into a wall just as the tinkling sound of their father’s arrival filled the air. _

_ “Wyatt!” his father shouted and Chris tried to push away from the wall so he could speak. “What are you doing?!” _

_ “I’m trying to stop him, dad,” Wyatt said, his voice sounding desperate and nothing like the cold manipulator Chris now knew him to be. “He just went crazy, saying I was working with demons and he attacked me. I think it’s the thing from last week. I think he’s being controlled again!” _

_ Chris ceased his struggles and stared dumbfounded at the yellow paint beneath his aching nose, realizing his mistake or rather, mistakes.  _ **_If the kitchen earlier was any indication, I think I’m safe assuming the basement was immediately after you found out, right?_ **

**_You son of a bitch,_ ** _ Chris cried in his mind as he renewed his struggles, his brother was trying to paint him as possessed. He was trying to make it seem like anything he said was untrue by definition and hadn’t Chris just made it so fucking  _ **_easy_ ** _ for him. _

**_Now, now, I know you're upset but please don’t insult our mother like that,_ ** _ he added a little extra force that made Chris gasp for air. Wyatt may have only had a mild form of telekinesis in comparison to himself but when focused, his lack of finesse really didn’t matter all that much.  _ **_You’ve brought this on yourself, Chris. Though I do take some responsibility, I should have started teaching you much earlier than this._ **

_ “What are we going to do dad, we can’t just let him go free! You saw the basement and look at this room! We don’t know what they did to him, he could hurt people!” Wyatt cried as if the whole situation pained him deeply and Chris had never wanted to hit anyone so much in his life. Fueled by that anger he concentrated and sent a chair flying at his brother’s head. It worked, forcing the older boy to lessen his focus on him to stop it, and then Chris used his powers to push away from the wall.  _

_ “You lying bastard!” he yelled as he jumped to his feet, “We just had a conversation about it! You’re planning on killing the Elders - you’re training a fucking demon army for it.” _

_ Wyatt looked from the chair to his brother with a cross between respect and agitation in his eyes, “See what I mean?” _

_ “I’m not lying!” Chris walked up to their conflicted father and grabbed his arms. His voice cracked as he begged the man who’d never been there for him. Praying that just this once the pattern wouldn’t hold. “Dad for once would you just believe in me?! Please, I’m begging you! You have to stop him!” _

_ “Oh, Chris…” His father said gently, after looking between them for a time, and he placed a hand on the side of his youngest’s head.  _

_ For a moment, before the world started to fade away and the betrayal set in, he thought his father had believed him. But trusting in Leo Wyatt was a mistake that Chris vowed never to make again as he collapsed into the man’s arms and unconsciousness took him. The last image his mind processed was the look of utter disdain and loathing that his brother directed at their father’s back. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris helps arrange a prison break for his mother and remembers getting caught in one himself.


	12. Fallout

_He woke slowly out of a relaxing dream he couldn’t quite remember. All he knew was that it had involved his whole family and the ocean. Lethargically he pushed himself up on his bed and, with blinking and sleep-crusted eyes, he looked around his room. It took a minute in his almost drugged state to notice a problem. Namely, that all of his things were missing. All that was left were a few pieces of furniture, a lamp, and a clock. Everything else, all his posters and pictures, all his knickknacks, his desk and his books, all of it was_ **_gone_ ** _._

_Now more awake he got out of bed and spun in a circle, trying to come to terms with all his missing property before he glared at the door to his room. The memories of the previous day came back to him and he stormed over to it, grabbed the knob, and intended to give his brother a piece of his mind. But the door was locked, something his magic had no effect on, and he kicked it only to be sent sprawling backward. As he scrambled upright he caught sight of a dark blue energy that rippled around the room before settling back into place. He knew what it was instantly but refused to let panic consume him. Instead, he jumped to his feet and looked around. He quickly noticed a door that hadn’t been there before and opened it to find the upstairs bathroom. He paused and blinked as his stomach sank before he moved to the door connecting the room to the hallway. It too was locked and when he threw his shoulder against it he was again bounced back by the same blue energy barrier. His breath grew heavier, as panic actually did start to take over, and he ran to his bedroom windows but could only stare at what he saw there._

_“Dad figured a mountain meadow would be more tranquil for you to look out onto, than the city,” Chris didn’t even jump, having sensed the shift in the room when his brother entered it. The lack of sound attached to the entry told him what he needed to know about how he’d done it._

_“An idea I’m sure you encouraged so I couldn’t signal through the windows, right_ **_big brother_ ** _?” He replied with a sneer still not looking at the other boy, instead choosing to glare venomously at the grassland before him._

_“Don’t get snippy with me Chris, you’re the one that chose this,” Wyatt groused as if he should be the one who was annoyed with the situation. Chris slowly stood straighter, trying to keep his face devoid of emotion, before turning to look at the boy who stood with arms folded in the center of the room._

_“I think I already know but I want you to tell me anyway, what’s going on?” He asked, his tone managing to be both accusatory and emotionless at the same time._

_Wyatt rolled his eyes, “I told you, you brought this on yourself. You think I wanted this? You think I’d rather keep you locked up in here instead of working at my side where you_ **_belong_ ** _? But you’re still brainwashed and I can’t have you ruining my plans while you learn better.”_

_“I’m brainwashed,” Chris repeated the words and made a choking sound that wanted to be a laugh. The comment about being at his brother’s side ignored for the moment until he had time to work through the ramifications of it “You’re plotting world domination and the destruction of everything our family has ever fought for and_ **_I’m_ ** _the wrong one!”_

_“And died for,” Wyatt snapped, losing some of his detachedness and Chris could see real feeling there, real pain. “Don’t forget that our family has died for the lies you’re clinging to so desperately. I’m trying to build a better world, Chris, you’ll see that soon enough. But until then you have to stay here for your own safety.”_

_“My safety? My safety?! Fuck you!”Chris bellowed and Wyatt was thrown backward into the bedroom wall as his brother’s anger broke free of his control. It was the first time he’d ever seriously used his powers in an attempt to harm the blonde but he couldn’t find it in himself to care overly much at the moment. “That’s bullshit and you know it! You just want me out of the way so I can’t warn anyone you’ve gone crazy!”_

_Wyatt sat crumpled at the base of the wall unmoving during his tirade, stunned that his little brother had turned on him. It was only in the ensuing tense silence that Chris realized he might have made a mistake, “Did you just use your powers on me?..._ **_ON ME_ ** _?!”_

_The look in his brother’s eyes was unholy and he tried to take a step back but couldn’t move. Slowly, like a predator hunting its prey, Wyatt rose to his feet, his eyes never leaving his dark-haired target. Then he twisted his hand and lifted the younger boy up and off his feet careening him head first into the wall above the bed. Chris hit it hard, much harder than his brother, and his head made a definite cracking sound upon impact. He cried out in pain and then landed in a crumple on the mattress below. Only to find his relief short lived when his brother pounced on top of him and held him down by his throat._

_“Now you listen to me Christopher,” Wyatt hissed, the hand on his throat cutting off his air supply while magic prevented him from fighting back. “If the Elders knew what was happening they’d kill me and then they’d kill_ **_you too_ ** _for it. I will not let that happen! This is not a punishment! You’re here for your own safety because you’re clearly not smart enough to take that into account. They would use you against me! I won’t lose you, little brother, I can’t! You’re all I have left!”_

_Chris could see the honesty in those angry blue eyes, could even feel it in the bond between them. He wasn’t trying to manipulate him. Wyatt honestly believed the things he was saying. Tears gathered in Chris’s eyes as he came to terms with the full scope of his brother’s insanity. Whatever evil had infected him, it had twisted him so completely that it hurt to see it. He was being strangled to death by his ‘loving’ older brother while being told how much he meant to him._

_“Can’t…breathe…”_

_Those words were like a bucket of ice water and, like a spell had been broken, Wyatt’s rational mind come back to him. Instantly, he let his brother go like he’d been burned and clamored away from him, staring at his hands in horror. Chris was afraid to move, to set off the bomb again, so he laid there gasping lung fulls of sweet precious oxygen with his eyes closed. He must have lost time because suddenly he felt a warm comforting sensation on the side of his aching head and neck. Carefully, still afraid to move too much, he opened his eyes and saw his brother healing his injuries. Wyatt, someone who never cried, was ignoring the tears that fell from his eyes. Regret was pouring off him so powerfully that Chris could have felt it even without their link._

_“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered his voice rough with emotion. “I don’t…I was just so angry. You have no idea the position you’ve put us in, please Chris, you’ve always trusted me before. Just trust me now. I know what I’m doing.”_

_Maybe if he’d been honest, maybe if he hadn’t put him in a prison, and maybe, just maybe, if he hadn’t seen the depths of the madness in his brother’s gaze he could have done that. But not now, no, now he’d have to bide his time until he could get away. Until he could hide from, and plot against, the one person he should have always been able to count on. Not knowing what to say, Chris looked away and Wyatt sighed despondently. Finished with the healing, he knelt there awkwardly beside the brother that refused to look at him. Finally, not able to stand it anymore, he_ **_shimmered_ ** _out of the room._

_Alone now Chris curled himself into a ball, as the tears started to fall against his will, trapped in a prison he’d once called home._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

“There’s gotta be a way to get Piper out of there,” Phoebe announced needlessly to the room as she paced around it.

Paige sat with her arms folded on the wicker couch and looked frustrated, “Well the reversal spell, as you so kindly pointed out, didn't exactly work.”

Chris wanted to scream but he swallowed the urge. If she’d been more focused on her Charmed duties, instead of that stupid dog, maybe they could have already saved his mother. He knew Paige’s abilities at spellcraft, she’d half-assed the one they’d used at best, but instead, he held his tongue. He needed to pick his battles with them now more than ever with Leo around trying to undermine their trust in him. It was the reason he jumped on the opportunity when Phoebe turned back to Leo to ask him a question, “What do the Elders think?”

“They think it had to have been a demon that stuck Leo in Valhalla,” he said over her shoulder, giving Leo a defiant look.

Leo’s expression was unamused, “but they’re not sure.”

“Still, it's their leading theory,” he countered determined to make this idea stick in Leo’s thick skull, he didn’t want to deal with him for the next however long he was stuck here.

“Guys!” Paige snapped and she placed her hand on her hips, he knew that pose. “This is about Piper.”

“Actually the Elders believe that your new power is the key to helping save Piper,” Leo said deciding to be helpful rather than fighting with him. Chris bit his tongue, dammit, that round went to his father.

“My new power?” she asked, looking back and forth between them. “How do they figure that? All it's done is make things worse.”

“There's a reason you received it and they-we think it's to help save Piper, so what exactly did you feel the last time from her?”

“Um-ah- not much,” she shrugged, unsure of herself.

Paige tilted her head and gestured thoughtfully with her hand, “No, you said you felt something familiar, little things

“I mean obviously I felt pain...” she trailed off, her eyes flicking back and forth as she replayed the emotional memory. Then her eyes narrowed. “and desire…to help.”

“Ok,” Paige said, her voice sounding more enthusiastic as she tried to help her sister. Most likely eager to fix her own mistake, “well she helped Darryl and that wasn’t with her Valkyrie powers, it was with her Charmed Powers.”

“The witch within must still be alive,” he said as if it wasn’t something he already knew. If Piper had truly gone full Valkyrie then he would have faded out of existence already. Being part of the warrior women’s ranks was a lifetime commitment and only death could end it.

“And that’s how you’re going to reach her,” Leo concurred, folding his arms.

“Yea but how?” Phoebe asked again, becoming exasperated, “Just because I can feel some glimmer of Piper’s feelings doesn't mean she can. She's completely cut off from them.”

“Wait, wait, hold it, isn't there a spell in the book that allows somebody to feel what you feel? Which in this case would be Piper feeling what you’re feeling Piper should be feeling?” He asked, the idea hitting him like lightning, it made perfect sense. Only he looked around at everyone else to find they were staring blankly back at him. “Did that make sense?”

“Um, frighteningly, it did,” Paige replied and there was interest and a little bit more respect for him in her eyes. “What about that spell I used on Cole last year? The one to make him sense whether or not you loved him, I could reword it for Piper.”

Phoebe nodded her head getting the idea, “Actually that's worth a shot.”

“The problem is you still have to get close enough to her to try it,” he added, seeing the situation from all sides. His mind drawing up possible battle plans based on what he knew. “and that's not going to be easy.”

“Yeah,” Paige said, quirking her mouth and nodding, “especially with Piper's powers.”

“Maybe I can orb you,” Leo offered and Phoebe spoke up before he could.

“No, Leo, you're the reason she's in the emotional cocoon,” she said and her voice was a hell of a lot kinder than his would have been. “you need to stay far away from her. No offense.”

“Well now the question is how do we get close enough to her without her kicking our butts,” Paige shifted a little, her shoulders sagging and unease and reluctance radiating off of her. He couldn’t say he blamed her, fighting against a sibling like this was never fun.

“I could use my new power, to counteract hers,” Phoebe mused thoughtfully and he raised an eyebrow.

“How do you figure?” he asked, always looking for new ways to implement the various magical abilities he possessed.

“Well our powers are emotion based right?” she asked and he nodded, “if I can channel Piper’s feelings why can't I channel her powers and then use them against her?”

It was a brilliant idea and one he was surprised Phoebe had never had in his timeline or told him about if she had. Applying it to the situation with his brother, he could think of all the ways that ability could be used and then stopped himself. In order to do what she was suggesting it would require him to open himself up, to feel what his brother did. On its face, it was a bad idea. Wyatt was very good at mental and emotional manipulation if he gave him that opening, Chris knew he’d never be free of him again. His musings were interrupted as the sisters grabbed each other’s hands, orbing away. He realized he’d missed the end of the conversation and that left him standing awkwardly with Leo.

Uncomfortable under the Elder’s accusatory and probing gaze he orbed himself away and into the attic. He couldn’t help the sisters and he didn’t want to be around his father, so his next most productive activity was to examine the book. He was on his second run through when he felt the room shift and looked up as the last person he wanted to see walking out of a portal, Kara.

“The oldest sister has left our ranks,” she told him, her voice cool but also angry as she glared at him. She knew what he’d done, she had to, “Freya sent me to inform you our business is finished.”

He watched her turn to leave and sighed, “I’m sorry Kara. Please just…tell Freya I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry,” she snapped as she rounded on him, “Five of our warriors are dead because of you!”

“I know, I killed three of them,” he said taking full responsibility for his actions. He knew enough about her to know denial would only hurt his case. Owning up to his deeds was a step toward, well not forgiveness, but maybe less hostility. “I’m- Kara, I’m doing the best I can. So much is riding on my doing this and I-I hurt your people and I’m sorry for that. I just, please, when the time comes, don’t hold my actions against my people. Hate me but don’t punish them.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, unnerved by the emotional plea for some unknown ‘them’ from a man she’d been convinced had no true feelings.

“I told you, you’re important to the Resistance against the Source in my time, we would never have become what we were, saved as many as we did, without you.” He swallowed but still looked her in the eye, looking away would hurt him here. He needed to plead to her Valkyrie sensibilities, the ones that fought always for the greater good no matter the cost. “If I can’t fix this, if I fail, they’ll still need you.”

She stood still for a long moment as she debated with herself, then let out a long breath as she came to a decision, “If that time comes, and your words are true, I will help _them_. Until that time you are no longer welcome among us. Come to Valhalla at your peril.”

That proclamation delivered, she left just as she’d come and he bent double, placing his head on the book, as relief made his body feel light. That had been his biggest fear in this situation, that they would lose the advantage the warrior women had given them. They had so few of those, he couldn’t afford to sacrifice any of them for his mission. It was just a brand new tightrope he was forced to transverse in the long line of different ones he’d walked. Not wanting to think about it anymore, or work, he headed down into the parlor with the idea of watching some TV and spacing out before he actually snapped. Normally when he felt like this he’d spar with someone or go out in the field and take out a few gangs of demons. Both weren’t viable options for him at the moment. As he leaned down to turn on the device, he noticed the mess they’d all left in the corner of the parlor.

No one had cleaned up the memorabilia cabinet and, without really thinking about it, he changed his mind and got the cleaning supplies from the kitchen. As he headed back to the front room and passed the base of the stairs he heard indistinct voices and movement from the second floor. The sisters were back safe and sound, not that it improved his mood any. He’d always found cleaning to be an effective way to work off his stress. It was a tell that had always given him away when he tried to hide his black moods from his people. Prue had once joked that only her sister could produce the cleanest teenage boy on the planet.

He’d finished collecting all the broken glass and had just started to dig into the main part of the chaos when Paige came clicking down the stairs dressed in a purple mini skirt and red pumps, “Hey Chris, what are you doing?”

He blinked up at her and then smiled, “You look amazing!”

“Thank you,” she said with a bright smile, flattered. Then noticed what he was doing and her face turned dismissive. “Oh, leave it. I'll help you clean it up tomorrow.”

“It’s ok,” he said, waving her off, he wanted to clean it. Cleaning was good, cleaning was therapeutic, and it made him useful. “I don't mind, it's the least I can do.”

“What do you mean the least you can do?” she asked taken aback at the insinuation that he’d done something worthy of being stuck on post drama clean up duty, a task he knew she despised.

Chris just shrugged noncommittally, “Oh, you know, fighting with Leo and...”

“He attacked you,” Paige said seriously cutting him off and he could tell that it was something that bothered her. She genuinely seemed upset that he was blaming himself in any capacity for Leo’s actions, “Don't worry about it.”

“Yeah,” he looked back at the mess and sighed, “I know. Like I said, it's cool.”

“Hi!” Phoebe exclaimed as she walked into the house and the sisters had a brief conversation about her love life with Jason. It made him uncomfortable to hear about the sex lives of his aunts, but he just whipped his hands down his thighs and ignored the feeling. He was supposed to be an adult, supposedly this kind of conversation happened among adults and he didn’t want them asking questions. Which was why he decided to go for a distraction, instead of begging that they stop for the love of God.

“Well,” he shrugged and gave her a comforting smile, “your power helped save Piper, that's gotta be a good thing right?”

“Yeaaah,” Paige drew out the word and looked at the ceiling in the vague direction of where her sister’s room would be. “it won’t help her with what she's going through ..."

“But at least she's going through it now,” Phoebe nodded at Chris, conceding his point. “and that is a good thing.”

“Let's hope,” Paige said then she smiled excitedly before turning to leave, “well, I'm off to see Oscar.”

“Whoa, wait!” Chris stood quickly and narrowed his eyes at her, perplexed, “Oscar the dog?!”

“Yea he's having a tough time adjusting and I don't really want him roaming the streets by himself. Especially because I'm the one who rescued him.” She said like it was the most reasonable thing in the world for her to be dressed up like she was going on a date to see a _dog_. Chris tilted his head and looked at Phoebe who looked equally as dumbfounded, if not a little frightened. “You know, I was having trouble with the whole idea of that temp agency thing, but I'm kinda digging it now. It's all right.”

"Wait-wait-about Oscar?!" Phoebe asked almost unable to get the words out but Paige just said goodbye and walked out the door. They stood in stunned silence for several seconds before looking at one another and bursting out into laughter.  

“Ok, so, for my sanity, I’m just going to assume the dog wasn’t really a dog," he offered rubbing the back of his neck trying to control himself.

"I guess so," she snorted, still laughing, then she noticed the cleaning supplies and her mirth faded, "What's going on here?"

"Oh, ah, I was just cleaning up.” He said feeling awkward that everyone was making a big deal out of it. He was just trying to be helpful, was that really so abnormal? “Given everything I figured it would be better if Piper didn't have too, especially because this stuff was...you know...”

Phoebe tilted her head and looked at him searchingly and whatever she found or sensed seemed to impress her, "Wow that's - hey let me help."

He rolled his eyes but gestured at the mess, his aunt wanted to help and he wasn’t going to fight her on something so inconsequential. For a while they cleaned in silence, her help making the task move a lot faster. Then he made the mistake of grabbing and actually looking at one of the photos on the floor. It was the picture of his parents' wedding and he worked his jaw as burning guilt rolled over him. His mother looked so happy, so hopeful, and it broke his heart to have been the one that destroyed that. Apparently, he was getting as good at his brother at destroying the things he cared about. He also felt saddened by the realization that no matter what, the two of them were always going to end this way. Whether it was a future with just a little girl, one with two boys, or the current timeline. His parents always seemed to end up in tragedy and heartbreak.    

"Whoa," Phoebe said grasping at her chest and looking at him, stunned. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Huh?" he asked distantly as he looked away from the picture.

"You, where the hell did all that come from, that sadness, guilt, and…pain?" She asked him, her voice genuinely concerned and he hesitated, realizing he let himself feel without guarding. He tried to think of something to say, but she noticed the picture in his hands and made the connection, “Oh...but I don't-"

"I never wanted to hurt he- them," he said almost slipping and outing the fact that in this mess he only cared about his mother's feelings. He sighed and placed the picture in the pile of surviving memorabilia. "It wasn't my intention. I was just doing what needed to be done. I know you all think I'm just playing games or doing this for kicks or whatever but I don’t have a choice in this, I wish I did but I don’t."

"In what Chris?" she asked quietly her voice curious, not accusatory.

"I told you, I'm trying to save the future. The Titans were part of that, but not a very big one. Most of it is because of Wyatt," He hesitated and decided to leave the comment as it was, any more elaboration and he was apt to give something away. Instead, he stood to grab the broom, starting to sweep the shattered glass into a pile. "I was sent here to fix it, people are counting on me, but that doesn't mean I don't feel bad for what happens because of what I've done."

Phoebe was quiet for a moment before she stood and grabbed the other broom, working from the other direction. "It must be hard, being stuck here when everyone you've ever known is back there."

"No Phoebe," he said carefully, not looking at her and focusing on catching every last piece, "I-I can't talk about that. Honestly, I probably wouldn't want to even if I could and you don’t want to know anyway, trust me."

She watched him thoughtfully and he knew she wanted to ask more questions but something about him must have stopped her. He was thankful for the reprieve though he knew it wouldn't last for very long. He'd, unfortunately, peaked her interest and she'd eventually seek to sate that but that was a problem for another day. For now, they spent the rest of the evening cleaning in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris tries to build bridges and watches over his family.


	13. The Family Protector

_ The forest was silent as five young boys moved slowly through the trees in a loose V formation. The quiet wasn't that unusual for a place like this, as birds and other animals rarely entered these grounds. It was something that made it both harder and easier to play the game. Harder because they could be heard moving and easier because the reverse was also true. Finally, when they'd traveled what he deemed a good distance, he held out his hand and his friends fell in around him. This was round three in a best out of three competition and he wanted to win. Those fifteen-year-olds had insulted his team and he wanted them to pay for it.    _

_ “Jon, do you see anyone coming?" Chris asked his lookout and Brandon stopped to crouch beside him. _

_ "So far so good, I'm in a good spot," he muttered into his walkie, "You want me to take people out?" _

_ He paused and looked at Brandon, who shrugged, "Pros and cons, he could take some out but he’ll probably be hit too." _

_ "Hey Jon, you got an escape?" Zack turned on his radio and leaned against a tree, looking out into the surrounding woods. _

_ "Yes…" the quiet one-word answer signaled that their friend had seen something and the five of them looked at each other. _

_ "I say he does it and bolts," Zack shrugged and clicked his off again, then motioned to the trees he’d been staring at as he moved off to check them. Chris concentrated briefly on the area but didn't sense anything so he let his friend go, throwing a look at Brandon who also shook his head. He didn't sense anything either. _

_ Duncan pursed his lips, watching the dark-haired boy move off with observant brown eyes," the trees are too open here, I wouldn't risk it if he's got a really good view. He’d be a good backup if we get pinned." _

_ "I agree with Duncan, yeah I know, shocking," Sean said moving to the rear and angling himself to get a good view of to where Zack was moving.   _

_ "Jon," Chris muttered, angling the speaker against his chest to keep the sound down, "only shoot if we need help." _

_ "Works for me," Brandon said with a shrug, then he looked around the tree at their friend who was crouching in a bush now. "So, is Zack going to share or...?" _

_ "When have you ever known Zack to share if he doesn't have to," Chris snorted and then froze as a distressingly familiar voice reverted through his mind. _

**_CHRISTOPHER HALLIWELL! GET YOUR ASS HOME, RIGHT NOW!_ **

_ Why was she –  _

_ "Oh shit! PJ's recital!" The words flew loudly out of his mouth without thought and everyone spun to look at him. They looked surprised and then horrified as fear clouded his mind and stopped all rational thought. _

_ Sean scurried back to him and leaned over his shoulder to look at his face, "Phoebe's kid? ...you dead…." _

_ "Dude," Brandon breathed the word sympathetically remembering now that Chris had complained about how important this was for his aunt and cousin. Which meant it was just as important to Piper, "I'm so sorry." _

_ "You're aunt is going to murder your ass, after your mom is done with you," Sean continued, wincing sympathetically but also trying to stifle a laugh at the look of terror on his friend’s face. _

_ "Hey," Zack said, leaning out of the bush, "When you die can I have your iPod?" _

_ "Zack, Sean, shut up," Duncan ordered, then he looked at Chris who still wasn't moving, "I'd get home, now, move as fast as you can." _

_ "R-right," he stammered and then orbed away, landing in his room just as he heard his mother yell at him again both downstairs and inside his head.  _

_ He moved quickly to grab his clothes and then tiptoe ran into the bathroom. There, he tore off his gear, took a face cloth and wiped away all the visible paint that he could see, sprayed himself with deodorant, and threw on a pair of Khakis and the redshirt his mother had approved the night before. All in all, he was ready in less than five minutes and he was still panting slightly as he orbed into the front hall to find his brother and enraged mother waiting for him. _

_ "I'm here! Let’s go!" he said cheerfully and Wyatt covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head with wide disbelieving eyes.  He was dismayed that his brother thought this poor attempt to pretend he hadn’t been slacking off was going to work, he’d taught him better than that! _

_ "Where have you been Mister?" Piper asked, her voice an actual growl as she stormed up to him. _

_ "I was ah...hanging out and lost track of time?" he offered, his voice pitching up like it was a question not a statement and he laughed nervously. His mother was less than impressed by his efforts. _

_ "Uh huh," she said flatly reaching up to rub his ear and her fingers came away with some purple paint he’d missed. He stared at the offending color knowing that any chance he had of pretending otherwise was gone now, "You wanna try again?" _

_ "School project," he said in that high voice again and Wyatt actually made a half groaning, half laughing sound as he buried his face in his hands. Chris was also pretty sure he heard the words,' you are so dead' muttered quietly. _

**_What were you thinking?_ ** _ His brother's exasperated voice filled his mind. _

**_Well,_ ** _ he hesitated then mentally shrugged, _ **_I wasn't, kinda obvious._ **

**_Just say you're sorry,_ ** _ he sighed,  _ **_beg for mercy, I like having a brother._ **

_ "Riiight, because school projects often require putting purple paint in your hair," she said shooting his brother a withering look that made the older boy hunch his shoulders defensively. "We’ll be talking about this later-"  _

_ "I'm sorry mom," he blurted out fixing his shirt nervously, deciding to take his brother's advice and throw himself at her mercy. Playing dumb almost never worked with her, the aunts he could fool but never his mom, "It won't happen again." _

_ "You're right," she said with a smile that wasn't at all comforting, "It won't. Now we're going to be late so, Wyatt? Come on, do the orbing thing?" _

_ They gathered in a circle and his brother orbed them into a deserted hall in the recital building. Almost before they’d completely solidified their mother turned on her heel and began walking away. Dutifully they followed her and Wyatt punched his shoulder making him hiss in pain while shaking his head, he was radiating exasperation. Thankfully, for his life expectancy, they reached their seats just as the final call went out and the lights started to dim in the auditorium. Phoebe turned around and gave her older sister a look but his mother just gestured at him. It was amazing how much disappointment she could convey in a hand gesture and he shifted uncomfortably as Phoebe raised an interested eyebrow at him before turning around again. _

_ At ten his cousin was in an age group of students that were generally still learning. Thus he found himself cringing and, at times, trying not to laugh through most of the show. His brother, of course, wasn’t helping with the mental commentary he kept up through some of the worst performances. Then, finally, it was PJ’s turn and he could see from the look on her face that she was nervous. Beside him, he felt his brother shift and he looked over to find him intently focused on the young girl. He knew that look, he’d seen it before when Brandon joined them on demon hunts, Wyatt was using his projection power to communicate with their cousin telepathically. _

**_Giving the baby cousin a pep talk?_ ** _ He asked once both their faces cleared and she stood straighter, putting her bow to the violin. _

**_She needed it_ ** _ , he said with shrug and the two of them sat back to watch, they weren’t disappointed. _

_ It was obvious now why the director of the show had saved her for last, she was great, amazing for her age even, and Chris didn’t hear one bad note. An impressive feat as violins seemed almost designed to play off key. A bright smile crossed his face as he felt pride radiate from every member of his family around him. Even her youngest sister, four-year-old Penny, was beaming with wonder at her big sister.           _

**_Wow_ ** _ , he glanced at his brother,  _ **_she's really good!_ **

**_No kidding, I'm impressed_ ** _ , Wyatt nodded, watching PJ play her heart out on the stage.      _

**_You, impressed with something_ ** _ , Chris folded his arms and tried to appear nonchalant.  _ **_I didn't realize skiing was the new sport in hell._ **

_ His brother gave him a wry look before slamming his elbow into the younger boy’s stomach. Chris had to bite his lip to swallow his huff of pain and his mother glanced over at him. He flashed her a quick smile, then refocused on the stage, opting to ignore his brother who was hiding a smile behind his hand as PJ finished her first song before starting a second. When that was done the hall erupted in applause and he stood with his family to cheer for her.  _

_ "Chris! Wyatt!" PJ exclaimed several minutes later as she ran across the entrance hall and he smiled as she barreled first into his arms, then switched to his brother. "You made it, how'd I do?" _

_ "You were great!" he exclaimed as he rubbed her head and she pouted at him, fixing her hair, "I didn't realize we had a musical prodigy in the family."  _

_ "Yeah PJ," Wyatt smiled and hugged her around her shoulders, "I think you've found your future career!" _

_ She gave his brother a bright, thankful, smile, “Thank you, Wyatt, you know, for what you said. It really helped.” _

_ “Of course, any-” _

_ "PJ!" two voices chorused as the twins, only a few months older than PJ herself, came running and tackle hugged her to the floor. He and his brother jumped back out of the fray, they knew better. If they got too close, the hyperactive duo would likely try to pull them into the pile-up if they could. “That was so amazing!” _

_ “Girls!” Paige admonished as she ran over to haul them to their feet by grabbing the backs of their shirts. PJ just continued laughing as her parents and sisters ran over, stopping several feet away when they realized Paige had the situation in hand. “How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!” _

_ “Come on, they’re just having fun,” Uncle Henry said defensively as he walked over to placate his wife, followed closely by Henry Jr. who Chris saluted subtly. It made the little boy smile and he returned the gesture. Recently Chris and his friends had been taking the nine-year-old out to learn how to play paintball. He still wasn’t good enough, or old enough, to compete but he showed promise. It was something he’d tried to get the rest of the cousins into but the only one that seemed even remotely interested was the still too young Parker.    _

_ “Henry, you can’t keep letting them get away with things like this,” Paige groused. “They’re going to be teenagers soon, trust me, you don’t want two teenaged me’s running around.” _

_ As his aunt and uncle argued, Chris noticed a distinct lack of giggling and glanced around the area. A few feet away he spotted his mother talking to Phoebe and Coop, likely about him, and that his two youngest cousins had come to watch the bickering. There was only one problem, namely that a certain troublemaking trio was nowhere to be found. That was bad. The three of them had been known to get into serious trouble without supervision, like last month. The whole family had rented out a seaside cottage for a vacation and the three almost burned down the cottage trying to make a cake alone. It was something he and Wyatt had also gotten in trouble for, because, being the oldest, they were expected to look out for everyone younger than them if the parents weren’t around.  _

_ Finally, after several increasingly nervous glances, he spotted them trying sneak into the currently unattended concession stand. Exasperated, he tapped his brother’s arm and gestured, knowing they’d be more likely to listen to the ‘strict one’, rather than the ‘fun one’. Wyatt saw them too and his eyes rolled heavenward before he moved away quickly to corral the mischievous girls. Hopefully, he could stop them before any of the adults noticed what they were doing.     _

_ Chris watched with amusement as his brother snuck up and surprised the three, he could even hear them squeal from where he was standing. A few words from the blonde later and they were walking back to the family with their heads down, chastened and disappointed. They knew better than to argue with Wyatt, changing his mind was Chris’s job. It was then that he felt a tug on his shirt and looked down at the baby of the family.  _

_ “I’m tired, ride,” Penny muttered with a frown, the poor girl looked dead on her feet.   _

_ “Alright,” He sighed crouching down so that she could scramble onto his back. Then he stood again with a groan, “Ugh, you’re starting to get too big for this.” _

_ “No fair!” Parker snapped looking at him with her fist curled at her sides, “I’m tired too!” _

_ “You’re also eight,” his brother said coming up behind him and he narrowed his eyes at the faintly mocking tone.  _ **_Mother hen_ ** _ , he heard in his head and he stuck his tongue out at his brother. He was already in enough trouble with their mother, making the barest effort to take care of the younger kids wasn’t going to kill him. Especially if it got him brownie points with said mother. “Or did you miss your nap time?” _

_ “I don’t have a nap time Wyatt,” Parker snapped folding her arms and looking away to glare at a wall. _

_ “Alright, let’s get a move on, we still have a party to have,” Phoebe said cheerfully, breezing over to the group followed by her husband and his mother. Her announcement also stopped Paige and Henry from sniping at each other. As they all began to move toward the exit, Coop grabbed his now sleeping daughter from Chris’ back with a thank you and tucked the little girl into his shoulder. _

_ Once outside, his family said their momentary goodbye and then his brother orbed them to Phoebe’s house. Because they’d traveled by magical means they got to the house quickest and were the ones tasked with setting up and cooking. When they landed, Wyatt moved to the dining room to set the table while he and his mother moved to the kitchen to get the meal ready. It was a well-established fact, especially after the water burning incident, that the cooking genes had leapfrogged over his brother and hit him directly. So much so that their mother was hesitant to let Wyatt even make potions on his own. _

_ “Chris,” she said after a time and he paused cutting the carrots to look at her hesitantly, “About earlier-“ _

_ “I know, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m really sorry mom,” he said in a rush, terrified that she was going to ground him, or worse, say he couldn’t compete with his friends anymore. Last time he’d done something similar he’d been grounded for a month. _

_ “Yes and the two times before you were sorry too,” she leaned on the counter with her hip and looked down at him. “You’re going to be fourteen in a month Chris. You’re getting too old to be this irresponsible and you’re too young to be this forgetful.” _

_ “I know,” he sighed poking at a carrot with his knife, “I don’t know why I forget things, I just do.” _

_ His mother’s mouth thinned into a line and she seemed to be thinking, “Why do you like it so much, paintballing I mean?” _

_ “I-I’ve never really thought about it,” he said, thinking carefully. “I guess, I just like being with my friends and stuff.” _

_ “Yes, but why else?” she asked, her eyes searching. “There has to be a reason you focus on it so much, outside of it being fun. You think video games are fun too, but you don’t ignore everything else for them, even with your friends.” _

_ “I just,” he sighed and put down the knife looking back to make sure his brother wasn’t paying attention. “Wyatt doesn’t do it, so I don’t get comments.” _

_ His mother’s shoulders sagged and her lips turned down in a frown, “I thought as much. Alright, I’ll let it slide this time, Peanut. Do it again and you’ll be a legal adult before I let you compete.” _

_ “Yes mom,” he said dutifully, relieved that he dodged a bullet but knowing that he wouldn’t get another chance if he messed up again.  _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

This was a bad idea and he knew it as he paced in front of P3’s empty bar but it wasn’t like he had a choice. The sisters were bound to say something eventually and he knew it would be better for his cover if it came from him. The problem was they’d never, even in his earliest memories, been able to have a conversation that didn't end in tears or anger. Honestly, if he could, he’d ignore the man’s existence entirely but that wasn’t an option. He didn’t need to see it, he could  _ feel  _ the surveillance that had been placed on him. He felt like he was fourteen again, only this time the one doing the watching wasn’t doing it out of concern tainted with paranoia. Leo just wanted to catch him doing something, the littlest thing, so that he could destroy him. He needed to, if possible, forge some kind of truce with the man and the only way he could see that happening was through their usual buffer, Wyatt. That too had its own drawbacks and it’s how he found himself pacing as he drew up a mental pro and con list. Finally, he paused and berated himself, he needed to just rip off the band-aid. 

“Leo!” he yelled into the silent room, knowing full well the Elder was nearby. “Come on, I know you’re listening in.”

It took several seconds too long, in Chris’ opinion, for the wary man in question to materialize, “Chris?”

“We need to talk,” he folded his arms but gave no other outward sign of his mood, “and you’re not going to like it.”

Leo seized him up and then shook his head, “Unless you’re confessing Chris, I don’t really think we have anything to talk about.”

“What about your kid?” he asked and that caught his father’s attention. “What about Wyatt?”

“What about Wyatt?” Leo’s eyes narrowed and he took a half step forward, the power in the air making the hair on the back of Chris’ neck rise. He wanted to lash out but held himself in check. He’d accomplish nothing letting this deteriorate into a fight again.

“Remember when I told you I came back to stop the Titans, that was true but it wasn’t the whole truth.” Leo tilted his head and Chris took a deep breath. “When I first got here I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to distract everyone from the immediate threat but…I also came back to save Wyatt.”

The older man looked taken aback and then worried. “Save him? From what?”

Right, here was the hard part. He hoped he was wrong but he had a feeling he knew how this was going to go. “If I knew that, I wouldn't still be here.”

“What are you talking about?” Leo’s brow furrowed, “You’re here because the Elders said you could stay.”

“Well, yeah but -  No, look, I’m here to protect Wyatt, that’s why I took them up on their offer to stay. There’s a demon, it gets to him before he’s two and that screws up the future,” he said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. If Leo had been paying attention, actually looking at him, he would have seen how frustrated the young whitelighter was, “but I don’t know which one. That part was lost to history.”

“Of course it was,” Leo scoffed and Chris knew he didn’t believe him. Then again, why should he start now? It’s not like he ever had, “You know Chris, this is a pretty poor attempt to garner my trust.”

“I’m telling you as much of the truth as time travel rules will let me. To be honest, I probably shouldn’t have even told you all that much,” He sighed and then a thought occurred to him as he tilted his head. “And you can’t have it both ways.” 

Leo’s scorn filled eyes narrowed, “Have what both ways?”

“Your paranoia,” he snorted, “Either I’m some grand strategic genius who shipped you off to Valhalla for dastardly purposes or I’m an idiot who’s trying to manipulate you with some vague threat against your kid for dastardly purposes. So which is it Leo am I an idiot or am I a genius? Or you know maybe, just maybe, you’re wrong and I am here to help!” 

“Even smart people can make stupid decisions,” Leo countered and Chris felt his magic snap. It wanted to lash out but he was just able to fight it back down. He couldn’t lose his temper and that meant he needed to leave, now. 

“You know what, fine, whatever,” he growled as he stormed across the dance floor to the back room. He comforted himself with the knowledge that this plan had always been a long shot, “Believe me or don’t, I just wanted to tell you what was going on.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my room,” Chris said throwing up his hands, “Why, does that offend you somehow?”

“Your room?” Leo’s brow furrowed, as he glanced at the back room door, “You’re staying here?”

Chris vaguely remembered the sisters mentioning that Leo had slept there too at one point, for some reason. Was his father actually getting territorial about his old room now? “Yeah, and it’s not the worst place I’ve ever crashed either.”

“Why would you need it?” Leo leaned against the bar staring into his eyes like he could will his secrets from him. “It’s not like you need the sleep and you should be in the heavens anyway.”

“I told you, I’m here to protect Wyatt and I can’t do that as effectively up there,” he shrugged and if the look on Leo’s face was anything to go by that wasn’t enough. So he injected a little more personal truth into his reasoning. If he gave up something it might help, “Also…it’s uncomfortable, ok?”

“The  _ heavens  _ are uncomfortable?” Leo asked and Chris frowned at his incredulity and not little bit of suspicion. Of course, because to an angel, the feeling of peace and serenity the place exuded should be anything but uncomfortable.

“No, not the heavens,” he hesitated and then sighed. “I know people up there, they were my friends, but they don’t know me here. It’s… awkward. I just think it’s better if I stay away.”

At his admission, something like sympathy flashed across the other man’s face before he shook himself. “You’re the one that chose to come back here for whatever purpose.”

Chris snorted and headed the last few feet to his door, “and that is your biggest delusion, Leo.”

The door slammed behind him and he threw himself down onto the lumpy sofa against the far wall. He laid there for several minutes, his mind buzzing and his muscles tense, before he gave up and stood again. He wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. Even as exhausted as he was, he still wasn’t tired enough. Decision made, he orbed away, feeling the magic following him and landed in an alley just outside Times Square. Once he’d solidified he walked out into the crowded sidewalk, the tracking spell three steps behind him. It was rush hour here and very quickly he felt the magic lose him in the chaos as he internally suppressed his magical signal to almost non-existent. Then he wet his fingers and rubbed off the mark on his forearm that held the block on his wards in place. That done, he slipped into another alley and orbed away again, this time to the gym he’d picked out for himself. This stunt would garner him no good will but he needed to work himself until he couldn’t stand. Then he could get some sleep.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris re-enacts Groundhog Day and learns how it feels to be utterly helpless


	14. Rewind and Reset

He both could and couldn't believe that his father was attempting this. On one hand, he could see it from his perspective, in that, Chris was the outsider trying to infiltrate the family. On the other, he’d made it very clear that he was there to save Wyatt. He'd never thought Leo would jump to help him but at the very least he'd thought the man would get out of the way and monitor him from a distance. Instead, he was actively trying to hinder him! What if he was telling the truth? What if Wyatt really was in danger? Leo was putting his arrogance before the safety of his son.

“So,” Chris drawled as he stood and walked around to the inside of the bar, intent on making himself and his ‘guest’ a drink. The woman was pretty, he would give her that, but she wasn't Bianca and he wasn’t interested. “What do you do? Any family?”

She smiled weakly at him and his politely trite questions. He wasn't making an effort to hide his feelings about the situation, “Let’s see...I’m an only child, I own an incense and spice store on Fillmore Street and my mother and father are down in Southern California. I moved up here for college and just never looked back.”

He nodded as he pretended to pay attention and made himself the only drink he knew how, a sprite and vodka mix. In his time drinking simply wasn't something he allowed himself to indulge in. In fact, he could only remember being truly drunk once in his life after the Resistance’s first ‘Harvest Festival’. It was a choice that wasn’t really one at all. To be the leader his people needed he had to be one hundred percent cognizant at all times and when you had alcohol in your system you weren't. He never knew when his brother’s minions would find a safe house, a recon team would get stuck in the field, or a host of other little problems that needed attending to would pop up. Fun pastimes like that were a distraction that neither he nor his people could afford.

“Hey, I know you’re not happy about this but I’m really not that bad,” she said after a few minutes of silence and he winced as he turned back to her with a wan smile. 

“Look it’s not you. I know that’s a line some guys use but it’s true,” he heaved a sigh as he handed her a finished drink and leaned on the counter. She watched him with interest but said nothing, “You seem like a nice person, but the thing is, I’m from the future and I was sent here on a mission.”

“Are you…” she paused as she surveyed his demeanor with her mouth open, then she closed it and her face turned incredulous, “You’re not serious?”

“Yes, I am,” his face was solemn, and she leaned back in her seat a little. “I was sent here to protect someone. I can’t afford to be distracted by anyone or anything else right now. Leo- well Leo doesn’t really trust me. He’s convinced himself of something that’s not true so he set this up to, well, to test me or distract me, anyway, look, I can-”

He felt the pulse of raw power a second before it slammed into him and the room around him tilted. Chris felt his knees buckle as his head spun and he hit the ground, knocking over the bottles on the counter behind him as he reached out to stop himself. His head pounded so badly he couldn’t see for a few seconds. When it passed, a powerful feeling of loss and heartbreak almost tore him apart in that second of disconnect. Everything was wrong. Nothing was right and nothing would ever be right again. He gripped his chest as he breathed rapidly, tears gathering and then falling from his eyes. He’d lost…he’d lost something he couldn’t even remember having had in the first place. What was wrong with him? What was he suddenly missing that made him feel so empty? So alone? He’d always been alone, hadn’t he? 

“Chris!” he blinked at the panicked woman kneeling next to him. “Are you ok? What happened?”

“I…” he paused as he tried to understand his own feelings. He wanted to cry, he wanted to curl into a ball and forget the world existed because none of it mattered anymore. But the  _ why _ he wanted to do any of that still eluded him. There was absolutely no reason why he should be feeling this way. “I don’t know. I just felt…”

“You felt?” She asked when he didn’t continue and he shook himself.

“Nothing, it's passed, whatever it was,” He pushed off the ground and groaned when he noticed the bottles he’d knocked over. His mother would actually blow him up if she saw all that wasted money. So in an effort to stave off his execution, he grabbed a cloth and began to mop up the mess while his new charge went back to her drink, eying him warily.

“Ok, so you were talking about how you didn’t have time for me because of something,” she said hoping to move past his attack or whatever it had been. 

The feeling of loss and wrongness returned and he narrowed his eyes at the pieces of glass on the floor. Maybe someone had put a spell on him? Was that it? Was someone trying to distract him from his mission? He couldn’t afford to be distracted he needed to…do…Chris shook himself and turned to offer her a forced smile. 

“You know,” he said grabbing a bottle of whiskey off the back rack and taking off the cap before pouring himself a glass. “Thinking about it, I actually think I could fit you in as a charge.”

“Oh, you could ‘fit me in’? That makes it sound so official,” she said leaning across the counter with a flirtatious smile. “You must  _ really _ be in demand.”

“Well,” he smiled and downed his entire glass. The burn of it made him cough a little and she snorted at his reaction. Then he poured himself another, it wasn’t like he had anything pressing to do and he  _ was  _ twenty-two, “It is an official thing you know. I’d essentially be your guardian angel, I’m supposed to come help you when you need me.”

“Oh, that does sound important, I think I’d rest easier knowing you were looking out for me,” she gave him a coy smile and the look in her eyes drew him in. 

The way her hand touched his, playing with his fingers, felt wrong. A ping in his heart made him furrow his eyebrows but then he let it go, why shouldn’t he have a little fun when he had such a willing partner. It wasn’t like he was with anyone and he didn’t want to be alone. A small part of him knew he was using the poor woman as he kissed her but the majority of him just wanted to feel something other than empty.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_ “Chris...come on Chris! I know you can hear me! Wake up!” his brother’s distant voice was becoming louder and louder as the darkness in his mind faded. “Chris if you don’t show me some sign you hear me I’m gonna…I’m…” _

_ A loud bang jolted him fully awake. _

_ “You’re gonna what in your cage, little man?” that voice wasn’t one he recognized and it sent a shiver down his spine. Carefully he opened his eyes only to see a stone wall beyond black metal bars. His nose filling with the sharp scent of something rotting as he took a deeper breath, “I still can’t believe  _ **_you’re_ ** _ the great Twice Blessed, I expected better. That was pathetic, you’re love for your brother makes you weak.” _

_ “I’m going to kill you,” Wyatt hissed, his voice malevolent and frightening, “And when I do, I'll make sure you die screaming.”               _

_ “Well aren't your scary, but I think your more bark than bite, kid” the unknown voice taunted and Chris rolled over carefully to get a better look at what was happening. The cramped cage he’d been thrown into was positioned in a small alcove off the main area of a cave. That section had several different kinds of demons mulling around a central fire doing various tasks like eating or sharpening weapons. While his brother, in a separate cage beside him, stood glaring at the large humanoid demon, with red and black tattoos, outside it. “You can’t do anything. You’re powerless here.”    _

_ “Wy?” he asked hoarsely as he tried to sit up, only to lay back down as his vision tilted.  _

_ With a shaking hand, he touched the aching part of his head and pulled away fingers that were coated in blood. Actually, now that he was more awake he could feel the sticky substance coating half his face. They’d hit him, though he had no idea when that happened. The last thing he remembered was walking home from school with Brandon. How had he gotten here and where was his friend? Better yet, why was Wyatt here? His brother had been at football practice when he last saw him. _

_ “Chris!” Wyatt gasped as he scrambled across his cage to get as close as he could to the younger boy. All his anger was gone and he ignored the demon watching them, no longer interested in engaging with someone he thought of as less important. “Chris, you ok?” _

_ “No,” the twelve-year-old whimpered and then he showed Wyatt his blood-slicked fingers. Not that he needed to now that his brother could see it oozing slowly from the large cut on his forehead near his hairline. “My head…” _

_ His brother’s eyes seemed strange to him as the older boy stared at the damage, his knuckles white as he gripped black bars. If it was anyone else, Chris would have said the look was nearly demonic but that wasn’t his brother. His brother was protective, even angry at times, but never  _ **_that_ ** _ bad. The blonde then tried to reach out to him, though the bars of both their cages when a sword came down and he just narrowly avoided losing a limb. The sick glee on the demon's face as he looked back and forth between them quickly made Wyatt realize his mistake. _

_ “Boys, take the little one, let’s have us some fun!” he yelled and two burly horned demons came over from the group that was now watching them. His cage was thrown open and hands reached in trying to haul him out of it. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him but he did know being in the metal enclosure was safer than being at the mercy of these creatures. So he scurried to the back and tried to kick and scratch the hands that wanted to pull him out of it.     _

_ “Stop!” His brother yelled when it only took them seconds to succeed in getting a grip on him, his body almost half out of the door. They paused and the leader looked at the blonde, “Take me instead!” _

_ “You,” the red and black thing scoffed, his face bemused, “Now why would I want to play with you, when playing with him will hurt you  _ **_both_ ** _ more?” _

_ “Oh, I get it! You’re too cowardly to even open the damn door!” Wyatt sneered, “You know you couldn’t beat me, a teenager, so you’ve hidden behind my brother and spells. You’d rather kick around the defenseless child, what a credit to demons everywhere.” _

_ “Wy…” Chris started to say but his brother mentally cut him off, ordering him to stop, and he was too dazed to realize his brother had used compulsion to silence him. A line the more powerful boy had never crossed before. _

_ “A coward am I?” The demon snarled as he grabbed his brother’s door and ripped it open. “I think you’ll find, little boy, that you’ve misunderstood the situation. You have  _ **_no_ ** _ power here.” _

_ He grabbed Wyatt by the front of his blue t-shirt and hauled him out of the cage. His brother’s eyes were wide as he realized that his powers were indeed suppressed, even outside of his cell. Panicked, the boy stomped on the leader's foot and tried to throw a right hook across his jaw, using what little martial arts training he’d been given in an attempt to save them both. However, the smirking leader dodged him and grabbed his blonde hair before slamming Wyatt’s face into the metal bars of his cell. The impact was loud and the crunching sound combined with the blood that now flowed from his misshapen nose told Chris it had been broken. He let loose a yell of denial and tried to scramble out of his cage to help but the demon who’d been trying to pull him out now shoved him back and shut the door. He heard the lock click back into place and he was left helpless as they dragged his dazed brother further away into the cave by his short curly hair.  _

_ “I was told to keep you until my contractor figured out how exactly we should kill you. But he never said I couldn’t hurt you.” Then Chris was forced to watch in dismay as his brother was strung up from the ceiling and the back of his shirt was ripped open. The leader grabbed the whip that one of his subordinates offered him and flicked it experimentally. The loud crack made both boys flinch and their captors laughed. Then he grabbed his brother’s head and said something into his ear. It must have been some kind of threat because his brother began pulling uselessly on his restraints again in a panic. _

_ Chris’s knuckles were white as he gripped the bars, shaking them as he yelled, while the whip was arched back. The hit never came. Instead, the creature combusted into flames, followed in quick succession by almost all of his followers. From his position in the alcove, he noticed only two making it out of the sudden firestorm alive. Then his mother was running across the room to his brother and both his aunts bolted to him once they noticed him in the corner, unlocking his cage and pulling him into powerful hugs. His family was here now, they’d always be there to save him, and he was safe.  _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Chris stared blankly at the ceiling above him as he lay on the couch that doubled as his bed in the back room of P3. It was a day later and still, he felt the strange hollow ring of overwhelming loss in his chest. Something was wrong because he was here for a purpose and now he couldn’t remember it. He sighed heavily as he traced a crack in the plaster with his eyes while grabbing the bottle of Corona off the table and chugging half in one swig. Then he slammed it back down on the table and wondered where…Natalie had run off to. He winced at that, he’d slept with her, it shouldn’t have taken him that second to even remember her name. Last night had been a mistake, in more ways than one.

“Hey?” a voice asked from the other side of the room and languidly Chris turned his head to look at his father. For some reason, he couldn’t find it in him to hate the man he’d once held such disdain for only yesterday. Which begged the question why he’d been upset with him in the first place? Sure, Leo had been neglectful, busy with ‘up there’ stuff, but he’d never done anything overtly horrible to him either.

“Hey” he responded, then his mind quickly played catch-up and he realized his state of undress and what he was surrounded by. Quickly jumping into a sitting position and covering himself with a blanket, “Ah! Leo! I didn't know you were coming!”

“I can see that," he sneered as he eyed the many empty bottles of alcohol around the room. The liquor had helped numb some of the gaping holes inside him, he wasn’t going to feel sorry about that. Leo had no idea how much pain he was currently in, all of it inexplicable. "Are you drinking beer?"

The sane, non-alcohol influenced part of him told him to be respectful but it was completely drowned out the sarcastically, currently drunk part, "I was gonna pay for that."

"Chris, what are you doing sitting around, you’re supposed to be getting to know your new - " Leo paused mid-sentence, his mouth agape, as the woman in question walked into the room wearing nothing but the button up shirt she’d borrowed from him. Chris collapsed back onto the couch and put his head in his hand as she stuttered nervously by the door looking back and forth between them. It was official. His father was going to kill him. “...charge”  

“Ok look,” he said quickly and the older man just stared at him. “before you get mad you're the one who wanted me to have a charge in the first place, remember?”

Leo looked gobsmacked, “Yeah, to protect her!”

“Oh, he was using protection,” Natalie said, trying to be helpful and his eye twitched as he tried to come to terms with the stupidity of that comment in this context.    

“Yeah,” Chris said slowly as he eyed her, “I don't think that's what he meant.”

“Chris, are you out of your mind?” Leo snapped as he shook his head and glowered at him. Arms folded and eyes narrowed, Chris was reminded of the few times as a child he’d gotten in enough trouble to garner his father’s attention, those times had never ended well for him. “Aside from this being totally out of line, it's completely against the rules! 

“Yeah, you’re one to talk,” Chris scoffed, his existence was a testament to his parents' willingness to break the rules. The end result of which had been…well, actually, outside of him being an averagely screwed up teenager there hadn’t been any problems at all until their marriage finally fell apart. So why did he feel like something bad  _ should _ have happened?  

“Oh, I don't think that's the point," Natalie spoke up again and Chris could almost feel a part of his brain short circuit a bit at the woman's obtuseness. She then seemed to realize she’d inserted herself into a private conversation and decided to bow out as gracefully as she could. “Why don't I just, um, leave you two alone?"

“Look, I was just having a little fun,” he said defensively, it was something he didn’t often have, though he couldn’t remember why that was. Why was he so uptight? He was a twenty-two going on twenty-three year old. He should be out partying and having fun with his friends…his friends…now, why was he having such a hard time remembering who they were? He knew he had them, “What's the big deal? It's not like I have anything pressing to do anyway.”

“You don't have anything pressing?” Leo raised an eyebrow, “Then why exactly did you come back from the future in the first place?

“Uuuuh...” he stuttered, unsure what to say when asked the question he’d been asking himself since yesterday. “I don't know. I forgot.”

“You forgot?” Leo dropped his arms and Chris laughed a little at the expression on the other man’s face. His confusion was priceless. Then something seemed to distract him and his eyes grew distant, unfocused. "Did you hear that?"

“What?” he asked, grabbing the bottle of Corona again before taking another swig, an action that Leo completely ignored, which told Chris whatever he’d heard had been important.

“Never mind, we'll talk about this later,” then his father orbed away still looking a bit lost and he thanked his good luck. Whatever the Elder had heard had gotten him off the hook, he wasn’t going to complain about that. 

“Is he gone?” Chris looked up as Natalie snuck back into the room and smiled weakly at her. Right, she was still here.

It took him a good fifteen minutes after that to get her to leave so that he could be alone with his thoughts. Now, he was leaning on the sink after having just splashed a fair amount of water on his face, watching as it dripped onto the porcelain, and continued to wrack his brain looking for a solution to this problem. After a while, he groaned and looked up into a mirror only to jump when he noticed someone standing behind him. It was a tall, athletic-looking man dressed in all black with long curly blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and one of his eyebrows raised as he eyed him critically.  

“Come on Chris, you’re better than this,” the man said, his accent strangely formal, and it sent a shiver down his spine; but when he spun around he found himself alone.

He looked back into the mirror, his heart beating fast, but all it now held was his reflection. That hadn’t just been the copious amounts of alcohol he’d downed recently. He’d known that man. He couldn’t remember ever having felt the deluge of emotion he had when their eyes locked in the glass. Anger, guilt, joy, friendship, loss, disappointment, despair, but most of all love, he’d loved that phantom like a brother. No…that phantom  _ was _ his brother? Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, no, he was an only child. What the hell was happening to him? He shook himself and reached for his clothes, pulling them on methodically, he didn’t know what was happening to him but he knew the perfect place to start looking, the Manor. If something magical  _ was _ going on, doubtless it was because of something they’d done. 

The house was quiet when he orbed into the living room, though he could sense the sisters upstairs, and he looked around carefully. The room looked normal enough, but the feeling of wrongness only got worse the longer he stood there. 

He was standing in the conservatory when it happened again. Another wave of energy, gentler this time, swept by and through him. Gentler it might have been initially but it still made the room spin and he collapsed against a wall sliding to the floor when it stopped. He stared at a point in front of him as his eyesight stabilized and then he heard a sound. Slowly, he turned his head and his eyes locked with the bright blue eyes of a baby in his playpen.

Instantly everything snapped back into place in his mind and he remembered everything. This baby, the man in the mirror, they were the same person. Wyatt. His big brother Wyatt. His protector, the person who’d at one time had known him best and who loved him even if those feelings had been twisted by evil. The person he was thought up to be there for and the person that had been there for him until he’d gone bad. The corrupted, hurting man he’d fought for seven years in a world turned to hell before coming back here in an effort to save him from himself. 

Chris had no idea what had happened, why his brother had suddenly been missing but he never wanted to experience that again. It was a simple fact of his existence that he couldn’t remember having ever been alone in his own head. From the moment he was born, perhaps even before that, the connection was there, blocked by spells or made paper thin through time travel, but the presence was still always there. He was never completely alone, even if they fought one another viciously and his brother hated him for it.

He scrambled up and walked quickly to the pen causing Wyatt to put up his shield but that didn’t bother him. Outside its radius, Chris crouched down and pulled out the marker in his pocket to start drawing a holding spell for the ward blocking their bond. He wanted, needed, to open the link between them completely. He needed to know that Wyatt was really here and safe, that it wasn’t some kind of trick. 

_ Chris! Chris answer me now, I need you at the club!  _ He paused, his hands shaking, as his father’s grating voice echoed in his mind. He remembered now why he hated the man so much and he took a deep stuttering breath to calm himself. What was he doing? He  _ couldn’t _ open the bond between himself and Wyatt, not yet, and maybe not ever in this time. He’d let his emotions get the better of him and he’d almost caused himself another complication he couldn’t afford. He took a deep breath as he looked up at the baby who was watching him with solemn eyes, like he’d known something important was about to happen, then shook his head and orbed away. 

He landed just outside the building to give himself a minute to collect his bearings, the sound of his brother’s distant crying echoing in his ears. That had been ridiculous. He’d lived for the last seven years without his brother actively in his head and he didn’t need him there now, especially not an infant version of him. He was better than that. It was the shock, that was all. It had to have been the shock. He leaned on a railing, breathing deeply several times to calm his frantic heartbeat before turning and walking into the club where he found the same situation he had yesterday. 

His father sitting at the bar, telling him that he was being given a new charge.                    

“You're kidding right?” he asked more to himself and the universe than the man before him. Given everything that was happening, he realized he must have been sent back in time about a day, most likely thanks to the sisters who’d also realized something was wrong and that Wyatt was missing. “I don't have time for another charge.”

“Why not?” His father asked him again and he felt frustrated.

“Because... I just don't,” he snapped, not willing to relive the argument they’d had yesterday. His father hadn’t listened the first time around, he certainly wasn’t going to listen this one. “Why do you want me to oversee another witch, anyway?”

“Because I wanna see what you can do and what you can handle,” it was a reasonable excuse and would have fooled someone that didn’t know him as well as Chris did. Leo wanted him distracted, not tested.

“Oh please. You just don't want me around the sisters all the time,” he waved his hand dismissively and Leo raised an eyebrow. Likely he recognized the gesture but wasn’t sure from where “because  _ you _ don't trust me.”

“Chris, protecting charges is what we do,” his tone was placating and it angered Chris further that Leo thought he could be ‘handled’. He wasn’t an idiot and this had been tried by those far better at it, “besides, when I was a whitelighter, I had other charges.”

“I - Leo, I didn't come all the way from the future to protect and oversee other charges.” He tried again. Usually, he was so patient with people, even the annoying ones, and not much could set him off. It’s one of the reasons why his council, once formed, had unanimously decided that he should stay the ultimate decision maker for the Resistance. Yet his father had always had the ability to turn him into an uncontrolled, anger ridden teenager. It wasn’t a feeling he liked but never seemed to be able to stop. “I came for one reason and one reason only.” 

Leo shot him a skeptical glance that made his hackles rise, “to protect Wyatt.”

“Yeah,” he snapped glaring at the other man.

Leo seemed almost  _ amused _ by the very concept and Chris was disheartened by the level of contempt that his father held for him. Nothing he did or said seemed to help, “from some demon that will attack in the future but you’re not sure which one.”

“Hey man, fine. Whatever. Don't believe me,” he pushed away from the bar and started to leave, it wouldn’t be the first time Leo hadn’t believed him to his own detriment. “All I'm saying is there's no way I'm taking on another charge and that's - that....”

He hesitated as the charge he’d slept with walked down the stairs. It felt awkward to meet her again this way now that he remembered the truth. “Hi Leo, sorry I'm late.”

“It's ok,” his father looked jovial, though his eyes held a calculating light Chris had missed last time around.

“You must be Chris,” she said happily, “I'm Natalie.” 

“Ok, maybe just one more,” he said with a bright but forced smile as he remembered what happened last time. The second the man left so they could ‘get to know one another’ he turned back to her. “Look, ah, I don’t know how to say this but I don’t have time for another charge.”

“Wait but…” she started to say and then frowned, looking a little bit hurt. It made guilt sizzle in his gut.

“Yeah, I, uh, kinda said that to get him to leave,” he stood awkwardly and sighed. “Look I have a mission to do. It’s why I was sent here. Leo has…issues, with me that are mostly petty and he’s trying to throw distractions at me. Distractions I can’t afford, I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” she looked disappointed and then shrugged a little. “Well if things change-”

“Once my mission is completed I’m either going to be dead or heading back to my home, so I’m sorry but no,” he said cutting her off and she looked startled by the proclamation. 

Her eyes were wide as she nodded her head and walked quickly from the room.  He wondered, as he watched her flee, whether he’d unintentionally put on his ‘general’ face as Brandon used to call it. He’d been told the unfeeling mask he wore on the battlefield was intimidating if not frightening. Now alone, his shoulders sagged and he walked into his room, slamming the door behind him and then sinking to the floor against it. He felt tired, not physically, no his body was almost vibrating at the moment with agitation and energy, but mentally and emotionally he was exhausted. Beaten to the point where he no longer recognized himself.

He buried his face in his knees and screwed his eyes shut, pushing back the feeling of tears. He wasn’t going to do this, he wasn’t going to feel this, let this affect him. He shook himself and stood, pushing back against the heaviness trying to hold him down, then walked over to his locker to pull out his ‘work’ clothes. He needed to burn off the worst of his emotional turmoil and the best way to do that was to use his powers, a lot. It took him less than ten minutes to be completely suited up, he’d even elected to throw on a hood and face mask. He wasn’t information gathering this time and he didn’t want his current actions to adversely affect his future plans in that area.

For his target, he chose one of the more popular bars in the underworld and killed the bouncer before kicking in the door. He threw several daggers into the room, vanquishing five before the rest even realized what was happening. Then the real fight began. It was fast, it was brutal, and the demons spent as much time fighting one another as they did him. At the end, only three upper-level demons remained. 

Sometimes he’d let his opponents grandstand at this point, if only for the comedic value, but he wasn’t in the mood. Instead, he activated the seal he’d carved unseen onto the floor with his telekinesis guided blades. It was a mass vanquishing pattern he’d invented after a brainstorming session with Zack and they all got caught in the attack. As they burned he felt that foreboding pulse of power come again and then the eviscerating sense of loss sent him to his knees once more, Wyatt was gone,  _ again _ !

Why? How had this happened again?! Hadn’t the sisters fixed it and why could he remember him clearly this time? He was so lost in his own mind that the last demon, who’d been hiding, was able to get the drop on him and cut his side. He cursed fluently before he sent out a river of silver that exploded his attacker into dust, leaving him completely alone in a bar that looked like a bomb had gone off. With a frustrated jerk of his hand, he summoned all his weapons back to him and pulled out a small vial full of bright blue liquid he’d been using more and more. It was a healing potion he and his people had invented, forced through necessity to find a way around the need for a whitelighter’s healing in the field. It had just become a fact that it was too risky to send them away from the safety of the network when there were so few of them left. 

The solution’s name was ‘Heal-To-Go’ or H2G but its nickname among the soldiers was ‘hell in a bottle’. It was one of the main reasons why his people worked so hard not to get hurt because getting hurt in the field meant being force fed this concoction and  _ no on _ e wanted that. He grimaced as he downed the entire bottle in one swig then leaned heavily on the bar knowing what was coming next. Not only did the liquid taste foul but it hurt like a bitch while it worked. Unlike whitelighter healing, which cured a victim of all ailments magically, the potion worked on a more physical level. Essentially it forced the skin to knit back together and stop bleeding through rapid clotting. However, any blood loss wasn’t magically replaced, though it did increase its replication which put a stress on the bone marrow. As a result, it was possible for someone to reach the point where the potion became ineffective at saving them. He glared at a stain on the wooden bar, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth, while all his wounds felt like they were being ripped apart in order to be put back together. He supposed it was a kind of saving grace for him that he’d been hurt so often that the potion debilitated him less the more he used it. It was like he was developing a tolerance to its side effects, he just hoped he wasn’t developing a tolerance to it in general. 

His body now devoid of wounds he groaned as he stretched his now stiff and achy limbs. He sighed tiredly as he did a quick check to make sure all his weapons were on his person before using a spell to erase all possible traces of his presence. An attack like this was going to get bounty hunters looking for him and he didn’t want to leave anything for them to track him with. Lastly, he checked to make sure the seal he’d used had self-destructed as it was designed to. All his clean up checks completed he orbed himself to the Manor. 

The house was quiet, as quiet as last time and he looked around the living room devoid of his brother’s things before orbing himself upstairs to look at his mother’s closet. There he found clothes and shoes instead of a cradle. Now that he knew what the feeling was from it was easy to compartmentalize it and focus on the task at hand, namely, what had happened to his brother and why? What beings had the power to erase someone from existence like this?

He sighed heavily knowing that he needed access to the book to figure this out but that the sisters were upstairs with it and he wasn’t dressed to see people. He was trying to come up with an idea when he heard raised voices coming from the attic, at least one of the women was upset about something. Interested and not having a better idea he carefully navigated his way across the hall and up the attic stairs.                    

“Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” his mother said thoughtfully and he angled himself so that he could see into the room without being noticed. A skill he’d mastered as a child in this very spot, “Maybe instead of trying to stop them, we should be getting them to stop us.”

“You lost me,” Paige replied, her voice sounding defeated. He raised an eyebrow and wondered who his mother could be trying to stop, who was powerful enough to give them this hard a time.  

“Well, when magic is exposed it's their job to clean it up right?” She asked the room and Chris lightly smacked his forehead, of course, the Cleaners. They had the power to take his brother out of reality, especially given how little he’d done to this point. He’d completely forgotten that they even existed. They’d been one of the first groups Wyatt had exterminated on that fateful day and he’d never actually had any dealings with them himself before that. What could a seven-month-old have possibly done to incur their wrath? Then again, the sisters left him alone with his magic so often Chris didn’t doubt he’d found some kind of trouble to get into. Wyatt was naturally curious and had always been the instigator when they were younger. 

“Yeah, so,” Phoebe asked cautiously.

“So why not expose our magic and force them to deal with us,” Piper answered and from his location, he could see the conniving smile he knew from his childhood. He’d seen it many times when he’d watched them prepare for their big demon hunts or helped them mix potions. It was the smile of a woman with a plan and no qualms about doing what she needed to do to achieve her goal. 

“Yeah, but if we do that what's to stop them from erasing us,” Paige asked reasonably and he snorted lightly with a smirk. 

“They wouldn't dare,” she said the exact words he’d been thinking. No, the Charmed Ones had done too much, had tipped the global power balance too far for them to be erased. “So let's give them something to clean up.”

He orbed himself away from the hall after that, not wanting to push his luck, especially covered in weapons and in clothing that was torn and bloody. Now standing in the middle of his room at P3 he pulled off his gear and sat at the desk to begin cleaning and sharpening his weapons. It was a distraction, a task that helped him ignore the way his mind was screaming at him. This opportunity had been all but presented to him on a silver platter. 

He should be calling the Cleaners and telling them to keep Wyatt.

He should tell them that they themselves were going to fall to his madness. It was his opportunity to rid the world of the greatest threat it had ever known, to save all the lives his brother’s plans would take, and all he’d have to do was say a few short sentences. Only he couldn’t. He didn’t want to live the rest of his brief existence feeling like he felt now because if he couldn’t save his brother then he wasn’t going to save himself, he didn’t deserve it. It would just be better for everyone involved if he never existed at all. 

The bond re-appeared as he worked on one of his daggers. It made him pause mid swipe down the edge and he just stared at it. He knew what he’d done. He knew that the world had just been saved and then damned again. Apparently, he wasn’t as good a person as he’d always thought himself to be. A good person would have made that sacrifice but he’d lost so much already. He sighed and stood, walking over to his locker and sealing everything away. Then he laid on the couch and stared out into the blackness of his room, knowing that sleep wasn’t going to come that night.

“Hey,” his father said softly the next morning as he orbed into the room while Chris tied the laces on his combat boots, getting ready to start a new day with a renewed sense of purpose.

“Hey, I didn't know you were coming here,” he stood to grab a coat to throw over his t-shirt, everything from his tone to his expression dismissive. 

“What are you still doing here Chris?” Leo asked, his face chagrined. “Shouldn't you be getting to know your new charge?

“Yeah about that,” he said trying his best to keep his tone neutral. “I’m going back to what I originally said, I don't have time for her.”

“Chris-” Leo sighed and he could feel the argument coming so he cut it off at the head.

“Leo I mean it,” he said as he looked the man square in the eye to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation. “Because whether you believe me or not I'm here to protect Wyatt, not other charges, except for the sisters of course.” 

Leo looked taken aback and just stared into his eyes as if trying to read his mind, which he actually might have been. Elders had the ability of telepathy when they concentrated but the protections on him would have made that gift useless. He vaguely wondered in that moment if that was part of Leo’s problem with him. “Alright, if that's how you really feel about it, then I'll reassign her.”

He thanked the older man and then left the room intent on finding some breakfast before he started harassing the sisters into hunting some more demons for him. He had to solve this. He had to save his brother because he realized now, that even given an actual chance to, he couldn’t kill him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris deals with his guilt and starts practicing his skills in the fine art of subterfuge.  


	15. The Long Con

His day had started out normal enough. He’d woken up, worked out, eaten breakfast and was forced to attend the weekly whitelighter meeting. These meetings and other such facets of being a whitelighter, were probably the most frustrating part of his cover. Something that was made exponentially worse by the fact that it was Leo’s turn to give the weekly pep talk. By the end of his speech, Chris’ hands actually ached from the way he gripped his chair’s armrest to prevent them from shaking. It was enraging to watch him preach about compassion and care for others while Chris knew he’d someday shun all those things in favor of his duty to the other Elders.

“It’s great seeing Leo back on his feet,” one of the newer whitelighters nearest him said as everyone gathered their things. He glanced at them but didn't join the conversation as he grabbed his coat and threw it on.  
  
“Do they know what happened?” another asked and Chris paused. It was unlikely anyone present knew much about the investigation but water-cooler talk could be useful too. It might help him figure out where they were looking, especially if they’d strayed from their demon theory.  
  
“No, but you know Salas was my sponsor right? Well, he made it seem like they were definitely looking into someone.” The first man responded and he decided to walk away before anyone noticed he was listening. Great, they were looking at 'someone' specific and he had a feeling he was the target of that investigation.   
He needed to talk to Leo.  
  
An hour later he was standing alone in a gleaming hall and he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Apparently after the meeting this morning Leo had decided to drop off the face of existence. Now, not only did he have to talk to someone he didn’t want to but he was forced to hunt the said man down as well. He rubbed his temples and unbeknownst to him the bench beside him was levitating several inches off the ground. When he lowered his hands he jumped as it thumped dully when it hit the ground. He blinked at the seat and decided it was best he leave before he unintentionally did something with his Halliwell powers again. After thinking through his options he orbed to the only other people he could think of that might have some idea where the errant Elder had gone.   
Only to be greeted by dual screams of denial before he’d even finished solidifying.

“No!"  
  
He stared at them and Phoebe was more than eager to clear up his confusion. With her shoulders thrown back and her arm hooked with her sisters, everything about her screamed defiance. Even her voice had a prim quality to it, "We are not demon hunting we are going to lunch."  
  
"Hey, I'm not unreasonable. We can hunt demons after lunch,” he joked, raising his shoulders and tilting his head with a winning smile. They thought he was here to force them to work, fine they could think that. “By the way, anyone seen Leo?"  
  
"No, I have not," Piper replied and he raised an eyebrow, noting how she seemed almost happy about that. It was a mindset Chris wanted to encourage, if Leo wasn’t around the girls then by default he’d be less around Chris himself.  
  
When he looked over at his aunt she shrugged, "I haven't seen him either."  
  
"Well if you do, let me know,” he hesitated but it was quick enough that neither sister picked up on it. “There's a rumor going around up there that he has a lead on whoever sent him to Valhalla."  
  
“You know I'm sure that's very important stuff but I have a question for you,” Piper gestured with her hand, her voice mocking, so he let the subject drop. At least he'd been able to get some kind of information without either realizing its importance or asking deeper questions. “did either one of you leave the book on the floor last night?"  
  
"On the floor?" Chris asked with furrowed eyebrows, his instincts chiming warning bells for some reason at the idea.   
  
"No, I didn't," Phoebe shrugged and looked more interested than worried.  
  
"Chris?" Piper asked looking back at him, having caught his unsure reaction to the question.   
  
"I...vaguely remember a story that started like that in the future” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, staring off into nothing. It was one of the lesser-told stories from his childhood and he was trying to grasp at details that were running away from him. “Someone was after the book."  
  
"Demons are always after the book, what's new?" Phoebe asked as she dismissed a situation that he had a feeling was actually quite serious, and dangerous, a common problem for him.  
  
"No, I think this time they get it. You should take this threat seriously and tell Paige” he paused as he looked around the bar only to realize there was no trace of the youngest sister. “Where is Paige?"  
  
"She's at her new temp job," Piper said walking around him and heading up the stairs, dragging her sister behind her. Both of them trying to escape him before he could guilt or coerce them into doing what he wanted.  
  
"She's still on that kick?" he frowned as he remembered how much she’d loved being a teacher at magic school. She was definitely barking up the wrong tree thinking a ‘normal’ life was what she really needed.   
  
"It's not a kick Chris, it's her quest for happiness outside of magic." Piper snapped and stopped on the stairs to give him the look that threatened violence if he interfered, then continued on her way.   
  
"Yeah but it's a temp job,” he scoffed as he followed them up the stairs, throwing his hands up in both defeat and frustration. “Who finds happiness at a temp job?"

A few hours later Chris decided, after the fourth window had shattered near him, that he needed to find an outlet. Over the years he’d gotten very good at compartmentalizing. He’d learned how to control his emotions and push them aside until he needed that little extra kick for his attacks, then he’d work the worst of them out through his powers. It had helped, he now realized, that he’d always had some kind of distraction or problem he could focus on. In this time he didn’t have any of that and with Leo watching his every move anytime he could go into the underworld he spent his time gathering information, not fighting. That meant, since the Cleaner debacle, they’d just kept building and he felt like a volcano that wanted to explode, Leo’s latest games were just the final straw.   
  
In his time, running was a necessity, you either knew how and where to run or you died. It was that simple. Here, however, it was a pastime. Something people did it to stay in shape or because they loved it. To those people he was sure he looked crazy as he sprinted around them and down Golden Gate Park's many trails at full speed like he was being chased. At that speed, he was able to keep the pace up for longer than most before finally skidding to a stop and doubling over grasping his side and breathing hard. He had to have run several miles flat out at this point and he was covered in sweat that had long since soaked through his clothes.

“I don't think it’s _actually_ possible to outrun your problems,” a familiar squeaky voice observed somewhere off to his left and he stood up straighter to find the gnome his mother had hired sitting on a bench under a tree, his brother in a stroller beside her. “Hello, again Chris.”  
  
“Oh, it’s you,” he muttered as he walked over and, because his legs felt like they wanted to fall off, flopped down on the bench next to hers. He ignored his brother though the little boy reached out to him both physically and mentally. He’d been avoiding him since the Conservatory a week ago, and, as intuitive as he was, the baby knew it. “Having fun with the baby?”  
  
“More than you,” she said eyeing him critically. “What could an infant have done that you’d reject him like this?”  
  
He was taken aback, yes he’d been ignoring his brother but he didn’t think he’d been overly aggressive about it, “What?”  
  
“I can see auras, remember?” she moved forward to shush Wyatt who’d started to fuss. “He’s always reaching out to you and you all but shove his attempts away. Whatever your issues are with his future, don’t take them out on this version. He’s innocent and kind, you’re hurting him.”  
  
Chris was frozen as he watched the nanny try to comfort his brother and then he looked away. She was right. In this time, at this moment, his brother was completely and utterly innocent. This version of him hadn’t committed the atrocities of the one Chris had grown up with. He was kind and he had the makings of a great person who would be able to help almost as many people as the darker version had destroyed. Hadn’t that been why he’d done all this? So that his brother would have a chance to be who he was supposed to be? Hadn’t he been told things had gone wrong? A little of the guilt he’d been feeling for days lifted from his shoulders and he could breathe somewhat easier again.   
  
“Thank you,” he muttered before standing and walking away to find somewhere he could orb back to the club, he needed a shower and some food. She watched him walk away with concern and then refocused on her charge who’d started to cry in earnest.  
  
An hour later Chris, showered and changed, was sitting cross-legged with a book in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other as the wind ruffled his now mostly dried hair. The view from the top of Transamerica Pyramid was spectacular, you could see for miles, but to him, it was just a quiet place where he could eat and read in peace. He felt significantly better after his run and brief conversation, thus he was back on his search. This time using books he’d pilfered from the magic school library.   
  
"Chris!" he'd just taken a bite of pizza when his mother's voice reverberated loudly through his mind and he almost choked.

He hadn't been expecting to hear from them again after this morning and he assumed that was the reason her voice actually sounded grating to him. Mournfully, he looked down at his half-eaten meal and blew out a long breath. Of course, they suddenly needed him. How did they manage to keep doing this? When he wanted to work they were too busy but when he had things to do suddenly they needed him five minutes ago. It was like they had a sixth sense for what would drive him the craziest.  
  
He gave up on ignoring her when the second call came and headed off to find them. He didn't want to give them ammunition or make himself a hypocrite after all. However, when he orbed to their location he found them standing in the living room of the house across the street from the Manor. He recognized the room, if not the furniture, and he eyed the three women. Something about them was off, though he couldn’t put his finger on why and…what were they wearing? He couldn’t remember his family ever dressing like this. Provocative, yeah sure the younger versions of them tended to dress that way, but never this…trashy. Certainly not his mother who often put function over fashion because of the dangerous life she lived.   
  
"Why did you change clothes Piper?” he asked, noting the short skirt that would be hard to move in and the heels that would break her ankle if she ran in them. 

“You can't hunt demons in heels, go switch your shoes and we'll get started."

"Heeey, slow down there angel,” Paige simpered as she slid up to him and draped her arm over his shoulders. The action and look on her face made him shudder involuntarily. What was happening? “It’s all good in the Charmed universe, what's your hurry?"  
  
"Paige?” he asked slowly, concerned for the woman’s mental well being. Of the three of them, he was convinced this version of his favorite aunt only just barely tolerated him, “Did you just call me angel?"  
  
"She did!” Phoebe said as she came to stand on his other side, pawing at his arm. He bit his tongue and felt nauseous, “and I can clearly see why!"  
  
"O...k...” Chris stuttered, shrugging the both of them off and away from him, trying his best not to vomit. They were hitting on him, why were they hitting on him? “What are you doing over here?"  
  
"Oh, well we were just...um..." Paige hesitated and looked at her sisters.  
  
"Solving a murder,” Piper said, gesturing almost uncaringly at the body on the floor. “Evil has been here, probably spying on us."  
She walked over to the body with a disgusted look to pull out a be-spelled athame and handed it to him. He recognized all but one of the symbols on it and determined that it was a weapon designed for stealth. The body of anyone killed by this wouldn’t start to rot away for a week or more. However, that wasn’t what really interested him, no, it was the symbol on the hilt that caught his attention. He’d never seen this tri-crescent mark before and he so very rarely came across a crest or rune he hadn’t learned about in his studies.   
  
"This could be whoever's after the Book of Shadows," he muttered still studying the symbol and missing the glances shared by the sisters.   
  
"Could be, you see that symbol carved into the handle? We think that represents the astral plane," Piper said with an authority about her and he raised an eyebrow. He knew spirit runes, how they were designed and felt, this wasn’t one.  
  
"I don't know,” he punted, he still wasn’t sure how much he wanted to give away about the knowledge he had in that area, “the astral plane is a realm of spirit and energy. It's not like they manufacture athames there."  
  
"All the more reason you should orb over and investigate," Paige smiled sweetly but vapidly at him and he couldn’t remember ever having seen that expression before.  
  
He watched her, the feeling of wrongness returning. Magic was involved in this somehow, he just knew it. What had they gotten themselves into now? "You want me to orb to the astral plane?"  
  
"Immediately!” Phoebe said, her voice brokering no argument on the matter, “And don't come back until you find out where the knife came from!"

A glance at their faces told him they were determined on this and he knew better than to argue with them. Spell or not, they weren’t going to listen to him at the moment and he’d be wasting his time trying to make them tell him. It was hard but he was learning to pick his battles. It would take less time to head to the astral plane for a few minutes and come back; then it would if he stood here trying to debate with them. At least that way he could guilt them for not listening to him and wasting his time sending him off on a wild goose chase.   
  
He was about to leave when Paige grabbed him by the back of his head, "Can I have a kiss goodbye?"  
  
"No!" he cried and orbed away as quickly as he was able. What kind of spell they were under? God, he hoped it was just a spell!

The astral plane was the area between the living and the dead. A step below limbo, only whitelighters, witches with powerful spiritual magic, and spirits themselves could transverse here. He’d only ever been here once before and the gray feeling of the area around him was uncomfortable. He wasn’t completely a whitelighter and his witch half chafed at being in a place reserved for the dead. It was a tight feeling in his skin and he pulled out the athame to look at it as a distraction. 

“I was wondering if I’d get a chance to meet you face to face,” he knew that voice and he closed his eyes as an emotion he couldn’t quite name welled up in him. All the memories of the help and support she’d given him through the years flashed through his mind. Slowly, he turned around and there she stood, Aunt Prue, arms folded and eyebrow raised. She looked exactly like the woman he’d left behind, only a little cleaner.

“Prue,” he breathed, all the love and affection he had for her radiating off of him. He hadn’t been expecting to see her and thus didn’t even think about hiding how he felt about her. This woman had saved him in more ways than one over the years.

Prue blinked at him and her look of surprise brought him back to himself. Like everything else in this pretty little daydream of a past, this wasn’t his Prue. This Prue was still a spirit and had no idea who he was, “Well, guess that answers questions I didn’t even know I had.”

He looked away to collect himself, clearing his throat and then slipped his mask back into place before looking at her again. It was useless at this point to deny that he knew her, “I’m sorry Prue, I have work to do. We’ll have to catch up later.”  
  
“Oh no you don’t,” Prue chided as he turned away and she ran forward to catch his arm before he could leave, “I want to talk to my nephew!”  
  
Chris froze as she walked around him to look straight into his eyes. “Wh-what?”

“I was watching Wyatt and I heard your conversation with the nanny. I started following you after that," her tone was serious and she looked every bit the Prue he'd always known. The Prue who'd helped raise her sisters and taken care of her surviving niece and nephew after the world burned down. “If my sister knew who you were and what you did she’d bind your powers.”

“No!" he gasped, grabbing her arms and her eyebrows shot up. "You can’t tell anyone!”

Prue was shocked speechless, then she gently pried his grip lose so she could place a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, relax, I couldn’t even if I wanted too.” 

"You could tell grandma or grams and they’d tell them," Chris said remembering the Elders edict and he stepped back, his fist clenched and unclenched at his sides. "I know how you think."

She tilted her head and chewed her lip, "So we’re close huh? How's that work with the whole me being dead, thing?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he was still glaring at her. "Are you going to tell them?"

"And if I was?" she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'll make sure you disappear until I'm done," he said and he meant it. He may love her dearly but nothing was going to stop him from saving his brother. She took a defensive step backward and he lowered his shoulders, "I don't _want_ to Aunt Prue but if it's a choice between your comfort and saving the future. I choose the future."

"I don't appreciate being threatened," she finally responded after several minutes, though he wasn't sure exactly how long they stared at one another. He folded his arms across his chest, mirroring her, and didn't back down, "You're lucky I know how important your mission is."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to do it," Chris admitted now that he had her cooperation. He rubbed the back of his neck and then ran a hand through his hair, “I just can't afford any more problems. It's bad enough Leo's back and Phoebe's an empath.”

“Which is why I don't understand the secrecy,” Prue gave him that quizzical look he knew so well. “What is it? They can’t know or that you don’t want them too?”

“Both," his mouth quirked and his shoulders sagged, "You’re right if they knew they’d get involved but I can’t afford that. They'd try to stop me or get information out of me or whatever. I need the freedom them not knowing gives me to do what I need to.”

"The threats, the hiding...is it really that bad," her brows furrowed as she worried her lip, "You're future?"

He hesitated, he didn't want to brush off or lie to her, not to her, "Prue on - on the day the world...look...in my time billions of people have died. So yes, it's really that bad."

He knew the second that number registered because she leaned away from him and her fingers covered her lips. She looked utterly horrified, “Billions - Why - How could my sisters let that happen?”

“It – they – it doesn’t matter because I’m here to change it,” he said, a deep sense of conviction in his tone, “To do that I need my freedom.”

“Alright, I still think you should tell them but alright." She bit her lip and they stood in silence before she started again. “What are you doing here?”

“They sent me to look into this, they think it came from the astral plane for some reason,” Chris held out the dagger and rolled his eyes.

Prue took it and looked from him to the dagger and back, “You don’t think so?”

“No,” Chris put his hands on his hips and frowned, looking so much like his mother in that moment that Prue was taken aback. “I know all those symbols. They’re Wiccan and demonic, not spiritual. That last one’s a crest, not a seal.”

“Ah,” she sounded impressed. “So then why are you here?”

He pouted, “They sent me on a wild goose chase to get rid of me so they can go on their dates or something equally petty. I figured I’d hang out here for an hour then head back and yell at them.”

“So you’re pretending to do research,” Prue snorted, then looked thoughtful. “And why shouldn’t they have lives, not everything is about magic. You should look into it too. I know firsthand what it’s like to have your life cut short, enjoy it while you can Chris.”

“Not you too,” Chris groaned and threw his hands up as he walked a few paces away. “Come on, I’m not asking for them to eternally give up their lives here! I’m just asking them to focus until Wyatt’s safe!”

“Something that could take months or longer,” She was clearly sympathetic to his cause but she was also taking the side of her sisters. “That’s not fair to them.”

“Not fair?!” he turned back to her, disappointed, and then he shook himself. He should have known. “Well I’m sorry if it’s not fair but life isn’t sometimes Prue. You honestly think I give a shit about their social lives when the actual lives of billions hang in the balance. Lives of their kids?! My life?!”

“Chris-”

“No!” he yelled, cutting her off and then took a deep breath. He could feel the sensation of tears behind his eyes. For one second he’d allowed himself to feel like he wasn’t alone but he was and now it hurt so much more. “You know what nevermind. You don’t get it, you can’t...”

Prue looked worried and grabbed him again, “Chris, hey look at me, you’re not alone! I may not understand, I may not even be the Prue you know but if you need to talk to someone I’ll be here. Because kid, you do need someone to talk to.”

He grabbed her hands and shoved them away before stepping back, “talking never helps.”

She looked stunned by something she must have seen in his eyes and he orbed away before she could say anything more to him. His Prue would have understood his problems, his Prue would have given him advice on how to get the sisters to fall in line without any more prompting than the complaint he’d given her. His Prue would have been someone he could trust and talk too.

His Prue wasn’t here. 

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_“You told Aunt Paige?” Wyatt whined as he materialized into the room several days after Chris had first woken up there. The older boy had left him alone to come to terms with his situation and it didn't surprise him when he appeared, acting like nothing had ever happened. Like it was a normal day and he wasn’t a prisoner._   
_“What?” He asked, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse._

_Wyatt sighed, put-upon, and then sat backward on a chair glaring petulantly at him as he slumped against the backrest, “Aunt Paige, you told her everything. I can’t believe you did that!”_

_Chris stared at his brother and then looked away so he could glare at the windows, his arms wrapped around the knees that were drawn up to his chest. “What’s it matter, you’re not going to let me talk to her again and they think I’m crazy. If she believed me then I doubt she does now.”_

_“You’re not wrong,” he replied with pursed lips still glaring disapprovingly. “But still, the seed’s been planted. I’m going to have to be careful around her.”_

_“Well isn’t that just so sad for you,” he drawled with a roll of his eyes, his voice dry. “So sorry I’ve made your world domination plans difficult.”_

_“Aren’t you chipper?” Wyatt’s eyes narrowed but he managed to keep his temper in check. Chris knew his brother. He knew that the older boy was convinced he'd eventually see sense and join him, further violence wouldn't help that goal. The worrisome thing for Chris was that if a higher power hadn't intervened, his brother very likely would have been right. He had always played follow the leader where Wyatt was concerned and, if circumstances had been different, he honestly didn't know what he would have done. It was a genuinely terrifying prospect, “I see time’s done nothing to improve your mood.”_

_“Alone, Wyatt, the time alone with nothing to do but stare at my wallpaper,” he sighed and placed his head on his knees tiredly. “You could have at least given me a book for however long you're gonna keep me here.”_

_“You’re staying until you're no longer a threat,” Wyatt muttered thoughtfully then grumbled something Chris couldn’t make out before waving his hand. He perked up immediately as his old bookshelf materialized in the corner. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”_

_Chris lurched to his feet and looked to see what his brother had left. He knew he wouldn’t have kept anything remotely magical on the shelves, not that it would stop him. He had more than a few secrets his brother was unaware of, “I uh…thanks I guess.”_

_“No thanks necessary,” his brother said with a sad, little smile. Then he stood up, grabbed a book and handed it to him. “Think of it as an apology for, uh, last time. All of the stress just got to me and I snapped. I’ll never let it happen again, I promise.”_  
  
 _Chris knew he meant that a lot of abusers did when they said it in the moment, but that didn't mean that Chris was stupid enough to believe him. The incident had proved to him that his brother was a time bomb. A controlling, driven, and an obsessive time bomb. Short-fused and all. For that reason, he wasn’t going to actively provoke his brother into another confrontation. Yet, he also planned to be distant and moody enough that he’d be left alone. it was a difficult tightrope to walk but a necessary one._  
  
 _His prison, ironically enough, also gave him a sort of freedom he wouldn't have had otherwise. His stupidity had lost him his chance to make a difference in the outside world. If he was let out now, Wyatt would literally be watching his every move and he would know everything he did and said. His brother would end any and all attempts to stop or subvert him and then Chris would just end up back in here again, this time with closer surveillance. No, this way Wyatt's guard was down because he was already a captive and, in his brother's mind, powerless._  
  
 _"The sad part is that you really believe that," Chris moved away to sit on his bed, fiddling with the book in his hands. "But that's the thing about being evil_ Wy _, it turns you against the things you love."_  
  
 _He saw the way his brother’s grip on the bookcase turned white-knuckled and he started to read instead of saying anything else. He refused to back down under the glare and finally, Wyatt sighed as he left. Once he was sure he was alone Chris smirked at the door and closed the book before placing his palm on the cover. He'd created this spell years ago to read comic books in class and tweaked it slightly now to suit his current needs_

  
_**Knowledge is a scholars reward** _   
_**Something this book is useless for** _   
_**I need to learn and understand** _   
_**So change its pages to something grand** _   
_**As others would stop my ventures** _   
_**Only I shall see its treasures** _

  
_The book glowed blue briefly and he opened the cover again to find exactly what he wanted: pages from the latest book on warding he'd been reading. He was going to make the best of a bad situation. He had no choice but to. He had to plan and prepare for what was coming. After all, there really wasn’t anything else he could do._

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

"I'm on to you three.” He snapped the second they passed by his seat in the sitting room. His confrontation with Prue had killed what little patience he’d had left.

“You thought you could fool me but you can't. The athame isn't from the astral plane, you sent me on a wild goose chase so you wouldn't have to hunt demons, didn't you Piper? "

“Busted,” Phoebe groused as she smiled and blinked at him.

"Guilty," Paige said bouncing a little in place.  
  
"You figured us out Chris," Piper finished and of the three she looked the most apologetic, though not by much.  
  
"We are so sorry," Phoebe cooed walking forward to run a hand down his face.  
  
"Yeah, you should be! Look, there’s an evil out there after Wyatt and we need to find it-" he snarled as he started to lay into them. However, he was quickly stopped mid rant as Phoebe started to feel him up again, trying to rub her face against his neck, "Phoebe, what are you doing?"  
  
"Finding comfort in my whitelighter," she simpered and he had to work his jaw to push back the urge to vomit.  
  
"You’re all over him!" Paige snapped looking both disgusted and angry.  
  
"You're just jealous because I got to him first," Phoebe taunted and he looked back and forth between them with narrowed eyes. This was definitely some kind of spell gone awry but other than making them touchy feely it didn’t seem to have had any serious effects. Well, no side effects other than the nightmares he was going to have afterwards.  
  
"Look, Phoebe, I know Piper hooked up with your last whitelighter but I'm really, really, not interested, ok?" he said putting emphasis behind every word and pushing her away by her hands. She pouted and stormed back to her sisters, "Can we get back to hunting demons, please?"  
  
"Actually Chris we can't," Piper said apologetically and he raised both his eyebrows at it, "we didn't ditch you to play hookie we needed time to investigate the death across the street."  
  
"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" he asked, keeping his voice light to hide his suspicion, "I would have given you time off for legitimate Charmed duties."  
  
"Well we're asking now," Phoebe countered and was suddenly all business, "We believe that athame belongs to witches."  
  
"Really smart, pretty, witches," Paige added in that vapid bubbly tone she'd adopted today.  
  
"We just don't know who they are," Piper finished, glancing at her sister and then back to him.   
  
"So why don't I just check around this realm for them?" He asked and all three immediately perked up.  
  
"It's like you read my mind," Piper cheered.  
  
"See!" he offered still watching the three of them. If this was some kind of spell gone bad then they clearly didn't want him around to help deal with it. He smiled at them, at least he could help with the current case while they were dealing with it. Hopefully, this could build him some good will, "I can be reasonable and helpful, all you gotta do is be honest with me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris gets a reward for good behavior and learns who his family really is.


	16. Sleight of Hand

_He’d just finished push-up number one hundred in a set of three when Wyatt came for another visit. He held himself in the plank position for a moment before he decided to continue as if he hadn't felt the room shift. It took him less than a month to figure out that when he shimmered in, Wyatt was trying to observe him, and Chris didn't want his brother to know how attuned he'd become to the magical energies of the room._

_"Staying active I see," his brother quipped and he finally did stop as he pushed himself off the ground._

_"I've been here for over a month," Chris’ look was bland, “It was either this or get fat and go crazy.”_

_Wyatt held up his hands, “Hey, it's a good idea! I’m glad you thought to do it.”_

_Chris bit his tongue then glanced at the trays of food that appeared on his dresser, joy, Wyatt had time for a long lunch break, "Azulon giving you time off or are you hiding?”_

_Over the last few weeks, he’d learned more than he ever wanted to about Wyatt’s overly organized demonic secretary. Not that he’d ever officially met the creature, no, the only person allowed to visit Chris was Wyatt. Even their father had been banned from the room, his brother using the fact that he was the only one with a personal shield to his advantage. All while the family desperately tried to find a ‘cure’ for a problem he didn’t have. So his days had become a monotony of sleeping, waking to find breakfast on his dresser, a two hour muscle building workout, three hours of warding study, lunch, followed by two hours of martial arts form practice, three hours of studying more complex magic, dinner, an hour of agility training, roughly an hour and a half more ward study, then finally about an hour spent trying to hone his telekinesis before sleeping only to start again._

_Wyatt rolled his eyes before flopping into the lounge chair he had given Chris for good behavior. Chris, however, knew it had more to do with Wyatt’s own comfort during these visits than any good behavior on his part, “I hate the fact that he's too useful to kill.”_

_Chris snorted as he took a bite of what he deduced was Thai takeout, “Ain’t that just the way? The one person you really wanna kill you can’t because they’re just so gosh darn helpful.”_

_Wyatt’s face was flat but he couldn’t quite hide the way mirth lightened his eyes defeating the attempt at disapproval. “Your sarcasm is noted and unappreciated. How have you been?”_

_“You mean since you last deemed to grace me with your presence? Same,” It was both a statement of actual fact and signal that he hadn’t changed his mind. His brother pursed his lips and was disappointed but he didn’t push further on that front. He was, for the moment, willing to wait out Chris's stubbornness. “Though I do think I’ve come up with the perfect mixture of toothpaste and the drain cleaner you left under the sink to get rid of this stuff.”_

_He made sure to time his statement and was rewarded by his brother choking on a noodle, “Wha-What the hell are you talking about?”_

_“What I’m talking about is the wallpaper, it's driving me crazy, I’m seeing baseballs in my sleep!” Chris sneered dramatically as he waved at the wall. The childish sports themed decoration had been great when he was younger but looking at the pattern all day every day was torturous now, “I’m not sure if the wallpaper is possessed or what but I’m telling you they move.”_

_Wyatt’s brows furrowed and his eyes slowly moved back and forth between his brother and the wall. “Chris, the wallpaper is not possessed and those balls don’t move.”_

_"No? Fine, then there are more of them or something,” he sighed as he pouted balefully at the wall and then dug into his food looking down. Maybe it was cruel but he couldn’t help himself._

_“Chris…”Wyatt shifted nervously and he lost the battle with his amusement at the look on his brother’s face. He was just able to set the food on the nightstand before he dissolved into laughter. “You jackass!”_

_Even the pillow that hit him and sent him falling back onto the bed did nothing to diminish his mirth, “You shoulda seen your face!”_

_“Not funny!” Wyatt spat, “I was actually worried for a second!”_

_Chris snorted as she sat up, “Come on! I have every right to fuck with you, it’s only fair!”_

_Wyatt pouted but then conceded, “Fine, if it will make you feel better, you can mess with me…a little.”_

_Chris looked heavenward as if asking for patience then went back to his meal as his brother stood and grabbed the book off his nightstand. He didn’t even flinch as the blonde started flipping through the pages. To him, it was Kevanic’s 'Book of Advanced Warding Volume 3' to everyone one else it was just a story book. “The Odyssey, you know, by Homer.”_

_“I remember not reading it for school if that’s what you’re asking, is it any good?” Wyatt asked as he returned to his seat, lounging there as he flipped through the pages._

_“Eh, the language is kinda difficult but I’m working through it.” He replied honestly, reading Kevanic was like reading a completely different language sometimes. Silence filled the room as he finished eating and his brother started reading the book from the beginning. When he was done with his food he fiddled with his fork as he tried to come up with the best way to broach the subject he wanted to discuss. “Hey, uh, Wy can I ask you something?”_

_Blue eyes glanced up at him from beneath a raised eyebrow, “You can ask me anything, you know that.”_

_“Alright,” He paused and then started again. He needed to be careful, he didn’t want to incur anymore of his brother’s scrutiny. “I was wondering if I could have a sketch pad and some pencils.”_

_Wyatt put the book down, “A sketch pad?”_

_“Yeah, I was thinking of getting into drawing and stuff,” when his brother said nothing he got a little nervous but refused to let it show. “I mean, art's a good time waster and I've got a lot to waste. I figured it'd be a good hobby.”_

_“You're really going to be difficult for the long haul huh?” Wyatt slumped in his seat, then he snorted when Chris did nothing but look apologetic. “I guess, you wouldn’t be you unless you were.”_

_Chris knew better than to respond verbally to that and instead gave the older boy a weak smile. At this point, he’d adapted what he knew of his brother into the person he’d become. If he picked a fight now then Wyatt would never give him the supplies he needed just to spite him. The books were a good start, but he needed to practice too, something he couldn’t do without paper to work on. His face must have clued Wyatt into at least part of his thought process because he sighed and waved his hand. Across the room, a spiral of dark purple orbs solidified on his desk into a set of art supplies that most art majors could only dream about. The supplies made him giddy, while the color of the orbs broke his heart._

_“Merry Christmas, Chris.”_

_“Thanks,” Chris muttered as he stood to take a look, Wyatt just nodded stiffly before shimmering out of the room and he was alone again, “Merry Christmas to you too, Wy.”_

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The library of the Magic School was always quiet at noon and he knew no one but the librarian would be there at all. Thus he felt no wariness orbing himself straight into the aisle that held the books he wanted and started searching the titles looking for the one on coven crests. After some thought, he’d realized that the basic design was very much like the triquetra and had more Wiccan elements to it then demonic. Very likely this was the crest of an old family that had gone bad, which meant that it would be somewhere in these tomes.

“Chris? I didn’t even sense you come in!” Chris jumped away from the shelf and looked toward the deserted end of the aisle. A long ingrained instinct had his hand reaching for one of his daggers but he stopped himself from pulling it out.

“Who’s there?” he asked making sure to keep his voice lighter than it would have been had he been anywhere else.

“Oh! How silly of me!” The familiar sounding voice said again and the air rippled right before the Elder Gideon appeared, a serene smile on his face. “I forget that I’ve done that sometimes. Best way to catch wayward students you know.”

“Gideon,” he smiled tightly, this younger version of the doomed Elder was a great deal more jovial and outgoing than the one he’d known. He wondered sometimes what had caused the change in his old principle, “I didn’t know you were here, I’m just researching something for the sisters.”

“Oh?” The Elder walked forward, all eagerness to be of assistance, “maybe I can help with that, what are you looking for?”

“Ah,” he hesitated, old feelings of distrust bubbling up, then he shook himself and pulled out the athame. This Gideon was not the disagreeable man he’d known, “I was looking for that crest, it’s clearly Wiccan so even if they turned warlock it would still be listed here. It gives me a starting place to look anyway.”

Gideon looked at the weapon and then back at him with wide, happy, eyes, “How clever of you! Let’s see now, you’d be looking for….ah yes! Here it is! If they were ever a family of witches the crest would be in here.”

“Thanks,” Chris bowed his head respectfully as he took both items from the other man and turned to leave, “Well I have to get going, thanks again for the help.”

“Wait a minute,” he winced as he paused and looked back at the Elder who was watching him thoughtfully, “How did you get in here without my knowing?”

“Well uh,” he shrugged trying to appear completely innocent, “I orbed in normally. I don’t know why you didn’t notice.”

“Interesting, a faulty protection charm perhaps?” Gideon muttered to himself and looked away to glare at the floor. Chris took that as his cue to leave and head back to the club while the other man was distracted.

He knew if he really wanted to, the Elder could call him back, but he didn’t think he would. For the moment the teacher believed the security lapse was nothing more than faulty spell work or his own scatterbrain nature, but he was going to have to be more careful. He was getting overly comfortable and sloppy in this low threat environment. Even with Leo breathing down his neck he was still taking far too many risks using skills he shouldn’t have as a shortcut.

Sometime later he was at the backroom desk flipping through his new book when a disturbance in the air behind him made him dodge to the side; a tape dispenser narrowly missed hitting the side of his head. As his rolling chair moved away he bounced to his feet with a blade in his hand, and then his shoulders relaxed when he noticed two gremlins chittering to one another on a shelf. Chris rolled his eyes and pocketed his weapon before folded his arms across his chest as he glared at them.

“What do you two want?” Most would have attacked the mischievous little menaces but he knew better.

Gremlins, at their core, were a force of chaotic neutral, meaning they could be either good or evil depending on their mood that day. However, they did have a love of destruction that got them into trouble and often got them labeled as negative entities. They were handy little buggers though and he’d used their unique skills of dimension hopping to his benefit over the years to send messages and cause trouble. Chris smirked as he remembered more than one story about his brother returning back to his rooms after a long day of world-ruling to find them completely trashed by the vandals he never seemed able to catch. It had been a petty victory, but one that had helped keep his spirits up during the stress-filled building days of the Rebellion. 

The two creatures gestured wildly and the squeaky voices barely reached his ears, let alone in some semblance of coherent language. He snorted and walked over to crouch down before them so that they were at eye level, “Alright, slow down, and try again.”

They told him that Paige had asked them to find him and bring him to the Manor. He was immediately on guard. Why would she need to ask a third party to come and find him when she could have just yelled? Then he remembered the conversation he’d had with Piper that morning along with their strange behavior and rolled his eyes. Something must have happened with the book. They’d ignored him and now they had to get gremlins to play messenger for them, wonderful.  

He concentrated and orbed himself directly to his aunt only to find her with her sisters squaring off against another trio of women. He raised an eyebrow at the scene and turned to the youngest sister, "You wouldn't happen to know any gremlins would you?"

"It's about time," one of the unknown women snapped at him and he looked the redhead up and down quickly, he didn’t know her.

"Chris! Thank God!” the one with cropped brown hair said gesturing wildly and something about her movements and phrasing was familiar, “Look at them, look at them, they’re imposters they stole-"

"Whoa whoa whoa slow down,” he said, raising his hand to cut her off as he looked back and forth between the two sets again. “who are you?"

"They’re witches,” Piper declared and he watched the way the unknown trio reacted closely, “they're the ones that killed that guy across the street."

"No Chris she's lying,” the third woman countered, finally speaking up and something about her made his heartache. He’d only ever felt that way about one person and that he felt it about this stranger was unsettling, to put it mildly. “Remember this morning when you said something was going to happen to the book? Well, this is it, it's happening now."

"Ugh, enough of this,” Phoebe snapped throwing her head dramatically in a way he’d never seen her do before, it was far too catty, “Piper blast them."

In a quick move, he stepped in front of the three unknowns and pointed at the woman with the long brown hair, "how do you know what I said to Piper?"

"Because she is Piper and I'm Paige and this is Phoebe,” the red-haired woman said, pointing at each of them in turn. “They cast an identity spell to make the entire world think they’re us!"

"That's ridiculous!” Paige snorted and the only word he could think of as he looked at her was ditzy and that was something his aunt had never been before, “Everyone knows the Charmed Ones are blonde."

The three darker haired girls look shocked by the statement and the redhead even looked offended. Then Piper smirked and raised an eyebrow at him before looking back at the three behind him, "If you're Piper then show me your powers, blast me."

"I can't,” the long-haired woman looked like she was seething, “you stole them."

"Ok, so we stole your identities and your powers. Wow, we must be good...definitely worth more than a paragraph." Chris narrowed his eyes at the sisters, catching the bitterness in their voices as they agreed. Why would they consider something like that a personal slight? Unless of course, the three unknowns were telling the truth. It was a dilemma. If they were telling the truth his real family was in danger. However, if they were trying to trick him and the three women he knew to be his family were just bespelled somehow he could be putting the actual sisters in jeopardy by helping the darker haired trio. "It's time to take care of you witches and your delusions."

"Wait, wait, I can prove that we're telling the truth. I can still orb, I'm half whitelighter." The redhead exclaimed and closed her eyes as if trying to orb herself when nothing happened she seemed surprised.  

He honestly couldn’t decide which group to trust so he let the situation play out a little more. Whoever these three dark-haired girls were they were magical, which meant if they were demons or warlocks the sisters attacking them would force their hands. If not, then he’d go from there and help the real group, "Go ahead Piper, blast away."

Piper held out her hand in a manner he’d never seen before and the window behind the invaders exploded as the power missed its targets completely. He jumped, shielding his head from the debris, and looked over at the oldest sister.

"She missed!” The short-haired woman crowed, “when have you ever known Piper to miss!"

"Even I'm entitled to a bad day," Piper said trying to make herself seem cutesy and he snorted quietly. The only times he’d ever known her to miss was when she’d first gotten her powers of combustion and when she was under some kind of emotional manipulation or stress. Neither of those things were the case here. An idea started to solidify in his mind as he stepped back further to watch the two groups as her younger sisters encouraged Piper to try again.

"Ah Chris, a little help here?" The redhead snapped after she ducked as another thing behind them exploded but he still didn’t interfere. He got the distinct impression that they didn’t need his help at the moment and to be frank a large part of him wanted them to suffer a little.

"Oh, you know what,” the long-haired woman said, her voice mocking and he recognized that sneaky expression, “she's getting angry and our powers don't work so good when we're angry."

"We got ’em now," Phoebe said and everything about her from the look in her eyes to the tone of her voice was foreign to him. These three were not the sisters. Now he just had to think of a way to fix the problem without alerting the identity thieves to what he was doing. If they knew, they’d stop him violently and he didn’t want to escalate this situation to that point.

"Yeah, you got us now so why don't you blow us up," the long-haired woman, who he now knew was his mother, taunted.

"Piper!” the short-haired woman, Phoebe, if what the redhead had said was true, snapped, “Death bad life good."

"Don't worry,” Paige said continuing the needling and he smirked a little, he knew what they were doing, and it was just the kind of plan they'd come up with. “This bimbo couldn't hit the broadside of a beauty parlor, check out that dye job."

"How dare you!" The Piper double yelled and she threw her hands forward, blowing up the Conservatory door and the true sisters bolted for the exit and then the stairs.

Chris watched both sets of women race toward the attic and he chuckled disparagingly to himself. At least there was one good thing about this, he had a reason for the sisters downright creepy behavior toward him the last day or so. He also remembered this story now. It was one they hadn’t liked to talk about. In fact, he’d only ever heard it once and that was because Darryl had let some of it slip. That of course had caused all their children to pester the three of them until they cracked and told it in full. He looked heavenward, sending a thought of frustration to his Angel of Destiny, before orbing into the attic. He knew the perfect plan to efficiently take care of the trio who seemed to be quite the hot heads.  

A quick glance told him that his actual family was frozen and about to be killed so he walked up to the middle sister and smiled at her, “You did it, nice work babe.”

She looked delighted at his attention and he had to force himself not to pull away violently when she kissed him. On an intellectual level, he knew that this wasn’t his aunt but that didn’t change the fact that in all his memories Phoebe looking like this. He was grateful it didn't take any more for the youngest sister to start ranting. “This is unfair! First I get ripped off in the power department. Then you bag a bartender and the boyfriend lays diamonds on you! That whitelighter belongs to me!”

Chris raised an eyebrow at the flighty woman if he’d still had any doubts they’d be good and dead now. The idiot had just essentially admitted she and her sisters had stolen the lives they were living. The oldest seemed to realize that too and tried to calm them both. But the youngest wouldn’t be swayed and when she asked if he and the middle sister had slept together he saw his opportunity and took it with a definitive yes. The response enraged both sisters for different reasons and he was forgotten in the verbal fray that followed. He used that moment to lean back and looked at the book as he bit his lip. It wasn’t working quite yet, he needed to push them more.

"I didn't say that," the oldest responded to an accusation that she thought her sisters were idiots and he smirked.

"Yeah but I bet you felt it, my little empath feels everything," he defended the middle sister which only added fuel to the fire. This time when he leaned back he saw that the triquetra was glowing violent shades of red and orange as the book slightly shook. It was time to blow the top off this volcano.

"You know what babe let’s go, who needs 'em," he said grabbing her hand and starting to walk away from the rest of the group. The other two reacted violently and pulled the middle woman back to them, screaming at her. His plan finally worked and one of the attics many chandeliers fell to the floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces as the design on the cover separated. Their fighting had just lost them their stolen powers, unfreezing his real family. He dusted himself off and walked calmly out of the way, "You should be able to handle these women now."

He chuckled as he watched the sisters go up to each of their doubles and punch them to the floor. Then he laughed outright at the quips they made and Paige looked over at him, "I take it this was all you’re doing."

"Hey,” he shrugged and nodded in her direction before heading over to grab the book off its pedestal. “You're the one who got me here."

"How did you know they weren't us?" Phoebe asked him as she followed him with her sisters in tow.

"In all my life I have never seen you take the bait the way that witch took it from you," he said distractedly as he flipped through the book looking for the spell that would give the sisters back their powers and identities.

"In all your life?” Phoebe asked her voiced baffled and somewhat incredulous. On either side of her, the other two women looked on with interest. “You've only been our whitelighter for two months.”

He ignored the comment, biting his tongue, and then held the open book out to them. If he acted like the comment wasn’t a big deal hopefully they wouldn’t treat it like one, "Let's just reverse the magic."

The sisters said the spell and he blinked rapidly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, as his memories realigned themselves again. He could now remember the sisters looking like the women standing before him and the off feeling he’d had since being called away from his lunch dissipated. He had to stop ignoring his feelings when it came to things like this, all it did was get him into trouble. That done, and with confirmation from him that it had worked, they bound the blond trio’s powers and Paige orbed them to the police station. Then the other two sisters ran down the stairs looking for Wyatt. He followed behind at a more sedate pace, already knowing where he most likely was. It turned out he was right and Chris hung back as his parents and brother had a family bonding moment.  

"Leo can I talk to you for a second?" he asked when Piper walked away, trying to catch him before he left. Leo looked at him with a searching expression that Chris recognized and didn’t care for. At that moment he’d rather be doing almost anything other than having this conversation, but it was necessary. "So there's a rumor going around up there that you have a lead on whoever scattered your orbs."

"Yeah, I know,” he said and he looked very much like the cat that had caught the canary. “I floated it."

He’d done it? Chris had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he realized what was going on. He couldn't be serious? This was a trap, really? "You did? Why?"

"To draw out the guilty party." He replied with his head tilted slightly to the side. It was another expression Wyatt had picked up from him and Chris’ heart beat faster, as for the space of a blink as he saw his brother in his father’s place again.

"Did it work?" he asked trying to sound interested and only his closest friends would have been able to pick up the underlying emotion in his tone.

"You tell me, you're the first person to come forward with any questions," Leo smiled as if he'd just done something clever.

"That's an interesting experiment,” he snapped aggravation leaking into his voice, not that it mattered for his cover. A person, namely him, would be agitated in this situation. Leo should have accounted for the fact that, after being accused of this crime for weeks, any hint of Leo realizing his error would have brought Chris to him. This wasn’t a good plan for drawing out guilty people and Leo was a moron if he thought it was, “when you get any leads let me know."

"Oh, I, uh, already know who did it Chris." Chris looked flatly back at him and Leo seemed amused by it. "And when I get enough proof to expose him, you'll be the first one to know."

He watched the older man walk away toward the kitchen and his ex-wife before whistling to himself and turning in the opposite direction. His father was turning out to be a more exasperating obstacle than even he’d thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris has a conversation that defines his outlook on life and looks for a way to solve a magic problem.


	17. Endurance

He was being stalked and he got the distinct impressions he was supposed to know it too. Leo was not the most subtle of people and he was likely trying to make him paranoid. That or Chris’ senses were so fine-tuned that it would be hard for anyone to sneak up on him. Either way, it was a nuisance and he hadn’t been down in the underworld hunting for over three weeks. Every time he tried to follow a lead, that presence was there watching him from the shadows. It was driving him up a wall and he needed to do something about it, fast, but what? If he confronted him again all that would do was further cement Leo's suspicions and the same was true for magically dodging him. That left waiting for the other man out as his only serious option and he was wasting precious time doing it.

The last three days, however, had been different and that put him on edge. He hadn’t seen or sensed Leo at all and it made him wonder if the Elder’s duties had gotten in the way or if he’d given up. Chris chuckled despairingly at the very idea, it was more likely he was trying to plan something even more exasperating.  

"You haven't seen Leo have you?" he asked Phoebe, orbing into the Manor and hoping that the Elder might be busy so that he could do  _ something _ that day. She was facing away from him and Piper was storming into the kitchen as if she was chasing something. 

"Oh, Chris not now!" she waved him away to chase after her older sister and, with the level of tension and animosity he could feel in the air, he came to the quick conclusion that the three were having another fight.

They were sisters and this type of behavior was common so he shrugged and walked up the stairs to check if his father was with his brother. Whatever argument they were having must have been big because even when he came back down empty-handed he could still hear them sniping at one another. As he moved toward the kitchen he could make out the words and realized they were arguing, again, about Phoebe’s new ability. It really was becoming something of a cancer in the family unit.

"So I checked the house no sign of- " he started to say, hoping to get some answers and defuse the situation as a by-product but was cut off by his mother. 

"I should cancel my date," she said and his head snapped in her direction. A date? Why did she have a date? She didn’t need to date, men were dogs and she was better off without them. In his experience, it never did anything but hurt her.

"What? Why?" Phoebe asked as she spun on her heel and narrowed her eyes as if trying to see through her. 

"Because we’re having issues," Piper said, grabbing the phone and waving it at Paige as an explanation. It was then that he finally noticed the wound on the youngest’s shoulder and winced, it looked like an energy burn. So that’s what started all this, Paige had gotten herself into trouble without her sisters there to back her up again.

"No the issue is you’re afraid to date Piper, but you can't let your fear stop you.” Phoebe almost begged, then she spun back to point at Paige, “You on the other hand should."

"Gee, I wonder why I'm feeling suppressed," Paige scoffed as she tended to her wound.

"Phoebe this is ridiculous, it's just getting worse!" Piper lamented as she gestured at the middle sister with the phone still in her hand.

"I know, so what should I do, should I just keep all your feelings to myself?” Phoebe asked and her pain was evident in her voice. He felt bad for her, he really did. He’d gone through a similar situation when he’d been in his early teens, only he’d had her to help him. “Would that make you guys happy?"

"Yeah!" the other two yelled back.

"Ok, then that's what I'll do," Phoebe muttered, looking down and he could feel the sorrow radiating off of her. Not that he needed to have empathy for that, it was etched on her face. He wished he could help her. Then suddenly her head snapped up and she glanced at each of them. "Someone's hiding something from me."

He started, he’d been projecting again, and threw up his barriers before making a hasty retreat, "Just let me know if anyone sees Leo!"

He orbed away quickly leaving the bewildered trio in his wake before reappearing in the backroom of the club and pulling a book off his shelf. He’d taken this book last time he’d been at magic school to return the book on covens he’d borrowed. It was about Empathy and he flipped through the pages looking for anything that could help him. He could have just given it to her but that would have been stupid. He may have felt bad for her predicament but not enough to help her master such a powerful ability when it could be used against him.

He paused at an entry about potions and smiled as he read about one designed to block the power. In his time, it would have been impossible to get as it required an Apothecary to make it and they were all either dead or enslaved to his brother. Like the gremlins, they were beings of neutral, willing and able to work with either side of the spectrum, for the right price of course. It was why they tended to slide more toward the darker shades of center and their dwellings were on the outskirts of the underworld. He knew of one, in particular, the sisters had frequented during their later years. So he visited the man, only to find his proverbial path blocked once again. 

"All sold out I'm afraid, good for me, bad for you," the man said dismissively as he created some other kind of potion, barely looking up.

"Well how long will it take you to make more?" he asked as he paced back and forth in front of the work table.

"The potion you desire is pricey for a reason. The main ingredient is quite rare and hard to come by.” The older man said as he turned in his direction to add some more ingredients to the mixture. He looked up after a brief pause, his head tilted slightly, “what secret are you so eager to hide?"

“Just tell me how long?” Chris asked, cutting off whatever small talk the man wanted to engage in with his hand held up. He needed this situation fixed and he needed it done yesterday.

"Hard to say,” the Apothecary shrugged and then moved to add more herbs to the concoction, his dismissive attitude was making Chris’ eyelid tick. “Six weeks or months, demonic suppliers are notoriously unreliable."

"Well I can't wait, I need it right now," he bit out, stepping forward to crowd the old man.

"Oh, the impatience of youth,” the Apothecary admonished, not at all cowed by the implied threat, but then his face became thoughtful, “then again it takes a young heart to brave great danger."

"Spare me the Morpheus speech old man,” he sneered, his voice flat and he followed the other man’s head to maintain eye contact, “what are you saying?"

"Swampland is where you will find the Kotochul egg your potion requires." Chris groaned and his head dropped as soon as he heard the name. Kotochul were a nasty half bird, half reptile creatures that lived in the swamps of Southeast Asia. They weren’t as bad as a lot of things he’d fought but they were a nasty problem. They were also particularly protective of their eggs, this was more than an inconvenience, "Now you understand the difficulty."

"Fine,” he pushed off the counter and moved toward the exit, “I'll get you your damn egg. Just make sure you’re ready by the time I get back." 

He’d originally been intending to simply walk out but as he neared the exit he felt a now familiar ripple of power. Leo was cloaked and standing somewhere nearby. He froze in place and glared at the seemingly empty area before him, then turned back to look at the merchant. The old man gave him an almost mocking smile and he wanted to hit something. He was being set up. Leo must have known that eventually, he’d go looking for a way to block Phoebe’s power and set up a warning system. It only made sense, he was the one that encouraged her to use it frequently enough. In fact, Chris was almost positive that Leo was trying to train his aunt to be a weapon against him. His father could have moments of intelligence and he needed to stop underestimating the man based on his resentment. 

He didn’t trust his temper enough to move forward and not reveal the fact that he knew Leo was there. So he orbed straight to a swamp he remembered held a Kotochul pack instead. This wasn’t the first time he second-guessed his decision to turn off his anti-tracking ward. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, to just let Leo follow him around for a while and see that there was nothing to see. But he was too persistent, hell, Chris was pretty sure he was even watched while he slept! 

He’d officially reached the end of his patience with the older man and had just reached into his pocket for a marker when he felt the pulse of power that signified Leo’s appearance. Chris closed his eyes as he took a long, slow, breath and pulled his hand back out again. He’d have to lose Leo completely somehow before he used that magic. For now, he moved forward into the marsh in search of his target, if only to scope it out.

It was slow going on the unstable ground and he stumbled more often than not, getting mud all over himself. Normally he would have picked his path and moved with a lot more grace but he purposely chose this to make Leo’s tail of him just that much more difficult. He was also reasonably sure that his bumbling sold the idea that he didn’t quite know what he was doing. He stopped at one point, looked back and then looked away again smiling, he could hear the Elder slipping in mud, several times.

_ "Chris!”  _ the yell reverberated through his mind and he sighed before orbing himself to the Manor as Phoebe yelled again.

"Yeah?" he asked and she spun around to look at him.

"I need you to watch Wyatt," she said, ordering him to the task rather than asking him if he had the time. Then she walked away before he could give her an answer.

"What?!" he yelped, taken aback completely. It was bad enough that he had to occasionally be in the same room as his brother but to actually have to stick around and  _ care _ for him? No, he couldn't do that and stay sane, he really couldn't. "No! No way."

"What's wrong,” she turned back to him, tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in that suspiciously watchful way, she was channeling him again, “why are you worried?"

"What's wrong..." he trailed off, grasping for an excuse good enough that wasn't the truth, it wasn’t hard. Then he felt Leo approaching and got a devious idea that solved all his current problems, "What's wrong is I don't do babies. One and under crowd, not my thing. Leo, however, great with kids, especially his own. You're not following me are you?"

"Why? Should I be?" Leo asked, glaring at him, his jaw tense, and Chris could see the mud covering the bottom of his pant legs. He wanted to laugh but instead threw up a frustrated hand and rolled his eyes. 

“Ooh there's a lot of love in this room,” Phoebe simpered with a mocking squint of her eyes then she started to walk away yelling directions to them. “Ok, so, there’s a bottle in the fridge if Wyatt wakes up and the diaper rash cream only if he needs it, ok? Gotta keep that butt moist!"

Chris laughed to cover the way he gagged at the very idea of changing his older brother’s diaper or using a cream for any kind of rash. Then he smacked Leo hard on the shoulder before leaving, "Did ya get all that?"

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_ The rhythmic sound of his fists hitting the bag mixed with the giggling voices of his cousins as they goofed off instead of practiced. He tried his best to ignore the sounds and focused solely on his task. It was still hard for him to be around anyone, let alone people who were happy, but his aunt had forced him down into the basement training room for the day. After four months of isolating himself from pretty much everyone but his brother, the adults had deemed that to be enough time. His brother probably would have fought them, fought her, on this if the Elders hadn’t kidnapped him again. _

_ “Ok, I think that’s enough,” Phoebe said gently as she put a hand on his shoulder and shocked him out of his trance. “You’ve been going at that for a while.” _

_ Chris blinked at her and over her shoulder, he could see his little cousins watching him warily like they were nervous. He couldn’t tell if that was of him or for him, “Fine, I’m going to my room.” _

_ “Hey girls,” she said to her daughters without taking her eyes off him, increasing the pressure of her hold on his shoulder to stop him from leaving. “Go upstairs and get something to eat.” _

_ “But mom,” PJ whined, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and Phoebe turned around this time.  _

_ “Don’t argue with me Prudence, do as I say,” she ordered.  Chris blinked at her. He couldn’t remember his aunt ever using that tone with her daughters before. Though, evidently, it was well-known to them because immediately PJ and Parker looked chastened and moved toward the stairs, dragging the twins and Henry with them. _

_ When they were finally alone, Phoebe smiled encouragingly at him and pulled him over to a bench that had been set against one of the basement walls. He let her, even knowing what was about to happen. She was going to ask him about his feelings and if he was 'doing ok'. It was what she did on occasion when her busy life slowed enough that she noticed he still hadn't gotten any better since the last time she checked. Not that he was angry with her about that, she and Paige had their own lives and families. They were around and tried enough that he knew they really did care even if they couldn’t be around all the time.  _

_ “How’s school going?” she asked conversationally as she watched him carefully. _

_ He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her, he hadn’t been expecting that “Ok I guess…its school.” _

_ “Well, yeah, of course, I’m pretty sure it never changes. Not that I’d really know, I skipped more than I went,” she said good-naturedly and he just blinked at her. “Really it’s a miracle, and a statement on public school standards, that I ever even graduated.” _

_ “Grandpa talked to you didn’t he?” he asked, already knowing the answer and pulling his knees up so that he could rest his chin on them, hunching in on himself. _

_“Yes,” she agreed without hesitation, Phoebe was_ _always honest with him. “And I get it, believe me, I do kiddo.”_

_ “So you’re not going to yell at me,” he looked over at her, grandpa had, and she looked nonplussed. _

_ “Chris I have no right to yell at anyone for high school screw-ups, believe me, I just want to ask why? Of all the kids, you’ve always been the best student,” she shrugged at him and the tension in his shoulders lessened but he didn’t answer. So she tried again, “looking back I know the reason I kept bailing was that I didn’t think anyone really cared.” _

_ He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “Grams and your sisters did.” _

_ “Yeah, I know that now but at the time I didn’t,” she sighed and slumped back onto the bench giving him a mournful look. “When I was a teenager Prue and Piper had already done it all, especially Prue. She was the Valedictorian, she was the smart one and Piper was right there with her. So by the time I came along, my accomplishments weren’t really met with the same enthusiasm as I remember her's being. It seems so silly now but at the time it wore me down and I just stopped caring. With everything that’s happened, I’m just wondering if you feel the same in any way.” _

_ “So what changed?” he asked curiously, still avoiding the question. _

_ “Oh well,” she sighed and looked off into the distance, “After a while, I started to hate the fact that I wasn’t living a life worth respecting. I was living off my sisters, I didn’t have a real job, I couldn’t afford the things I wanted, and all my friends had careers and lives. But there I was, stuck, being left behind because I hadn’t believed it was worth trying to be something, if only for myself.” _

_ He looked away from her and at the ground deep in thought, “why are you telling me this?” _

_ “Because I don’t want you to make my mistake,” she leaned over and threw an arm around his shoulders hugging him close and he let her. “Kiddo, I know what happened to you was awful and I understand what you’re going through…. I-I’ve buried two of my sisters, I had to kill my first husband, and I saw my mother die in a vision. So believe me, I get it. I get the desire to stop living because it just hurts so much.” _

_ “I know you do,” he whispered, choking on the words and he meant it. He could feel the pain radiating off of her and she squeezed him tighter, her breath stuttering a little. _

_ “Good,” she muttered and kissed the top of his head. “Chris, I just don’t want you to have the added pain of regret when you look back. That you didn’t do things because at the time they didn’t seem worth it. None of us want that for you and Piper certainly wouldn't, you know her, all she ever wanted was for you and your brother to be happy. Chris, she'd want you to live.” _

_ The tears fell silently from his eyes and he curled himself into her arms, “I don’t know how.” _

_ “One step at a time,” she said after some thought, “You just do things one step at a time. I’m not saying you forget, just don’t live in the past. There’s nothing you can do there. But the future? There’s a lot you can do in the future. But if that’s too big for you right now don’t think about next week, or even tomorrow, just think about today and what needs doing, or even what you want to do.” _

_ “But if I do that…” he hesitated, unable to get the words out and she sighed. _

_ “Chris as much as I don’t want it to be real, it won’t make it any less true, Piper… honey your mom is gone.” She said gently, her voice catching on her sister's name, and she leaning back so she could look into his eyes. “Whether you’re sitting in your room or out having pizza with your friends, that’s always gonna be true. She’d tell you the same thing in my place and you need to move on. You don’t have to do it quickly or right this second but you do have to start.” _

_ “And if I can’t?” he asked, not looking at her, the feeling of despair trying to drag him down and drown him. _

_ “You can,” she corrected him with a conviction about her that shocked him. He looked back at her with wide eyes to see the complete faith she had in him in hers, "I’ve known you your whole life Christopher Halliwell, you’re a fighter through and through, just like Piper. You’ll succeed at anything you put your mind to, you always have.” _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

He returned to the swamp on his own this time but didn't move to re-activate his seals. That had been a stupid plan born of anger. Even if Leo couldn't follow him in person he was very likely following him mentally as an Elder. He just needed to deal with the situation for what it was and act accordingly. Leo would lose interest eventually when his ideas didn't pan out like he thought they would. He'd known that when he helped him escape from his prison. His increasing frustration at the man and his lack of success weren't excuses. He was a better soldier than this and he knew he made mistakes when he was upset. 

A kind of fog had settled over the swamp and he grumbled as he picked his way with much more care this time across the spongy ground. He made sure to keep low using the fog to his advantage and kept his ears open. In conditions like this, the only way to find what he wanted was to hear it and after some time he actually did hear a rustling sound and he moved towards it. A shape loomed out of the fog before him and crouched lower, pulling out one of the daggers he always kept on him. 

It would have been better if he had a sword but he didn't want to waste the time it would take him to go back to his locker for it. He also didn't want it on his person if Leo was able to get away and started following him again.

The shape moved away further into the white abyss around them and he followed carefully behind, stopping when it did and only moving again when it was almost out of sight; his breathing shallow and his steps light as humanly possible. He knew that Kotochul had exceptionally good hearing. Even with the mist muting the sound around them, it still might know he was here if he wasn't careful. Three years ago, the Resistance doctors had needed rare medicinal herbs and the only place that they’d been able to find them was in a swamp infested with these creatures. More than one of his troops had been wounded seriously during the search and in the end, he'd had to go in himself to get what they needed. 

His combat training combined with his orbing powers had made him the only candidate capable of entering the nesting grounds of the riled up lizard-bird pack. The scar from that adventure was still vivid on his hip because he'd chosen to drink H2G at the time instead of bothering a whitelighter. He couldn't even be sure if this shadow was one but its size seemed right and until he could prove it wasn't, following it was as good a choice as any. 

The shadow finally stopped and he watched as it seemed to settle on the ground a ways off. He crouched down as well, using his hand to steady himself, and waited. These creatures were pack animals and the fact that he'd only seen and heard one so far had him on edge. He'd underestimated them before, he'd never make that mistake again. It was a few minutes later, as he opened himself to the area around him, that he felt the surge of emotion like a punch to the gut. Something was wrong with the sisters, something big. He cursed under his breath and made a note of where he was before orbing himself to where he could feel his aunts.

He found them and immediately wished he hadn't because they were screaming at one another while walking down the street in a well-to-do neighborhood. He didn't even consider the idea of trying to come between them to help. If what they were yelling was any indication, this was a continuation of the fight he’d heard in the kitchen and he wanted no part of it. Instead, he left to find his mother. She’d been the neutral one this morning and she'd always been able to knock some sense into them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris succeeds in his newest mission and a joke gets taken too far.


	18. Childish Antics

_ The coat closet they orbed into was dark and stifling so Chris pushed open the door slightly to see out into the dining room of the restaurant. Beside him, Wyatt hung back in the shadows, his arms folded as he frowned at the floor in the dim light. The older boy's expression made Chris wonder if he was rethinking this, he knew he was. The blonde had come up with this plan after their mother finally introduced them to the man she'd been dating for several months now. He didn't have an opinion on the guy either way but his brother did and he'd deemed him unworthy. He looked back outside their hiding spot and easily found her in the mass of people, she looked happy.        _

_ "I don't think this is a good idea," Chris whispered as he turned to look at the older boy. _

**_Shhh_ ** _ , Wyatt ordered, his voice echoing in Chris's mind,  _ **_I told you, like this, remember? You're gonna get us caught!_ **

**_Fine, I still think this is stupid,_ ** _ he looked back at her again and she was laughing now. His eyebrows furrowed as he sized up the brown-haired man in a suit. He couldn't see what had set his brother off so much,  _ **_Mommy really likes this one._ **

**_I know… but you don't really think he's good enough do you?_** _His brother asked, coming to look too, able to use his height to see over his brother._ ** _‘Cause_** **_I don't, he called me sport, who calls people sport._**

**_Lots of people call kids sport Wy,_ ** _ Chris gave the older boy a withering look.  _ **_You're just looking for a reason not to like him._ **

**_Oh? You'd be ok with Mitch being our new dad?_ ** _ He asked with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed quirk of his lips.  _ **_Cause that's what this stuff leads to, a new dad._ **

_ Chris bit his lip and thought about it, then shrugged,  _ **_if he makes mommy happy I'm ok with it. Why aren't you?_ **

**_… ‘cause they always leave_ ** _ , Wyatt said after a long pause, his voice filled with old disappointment, and Chris remembered all the other men who'd left over the years.  _ **_They're always nice and smiley and then they find out about magic and they run away. Then mom's sad…are you going to help or not?_ **

**_Fine_ ** _ , he huffed and focused on a glass of that awful tasting grape juice the man was holding. It didn’t take much effort to knock it out of his hand and Mitch jumped up from the table covered in it.  _ **_There, you happy?_ **

**_Yup! Come on,_ ** _ Wyatt grabbed him and orbed them into a bathroom stall just before Mitch came racing through the door. The man muttered to himself, saying several words that made the young boys look at each other with wide eyes, then Wyatt made his move. _

_ "Are you our new daddy?" the blonde asked orbing onto the little ledge attached to the bottom of the mirror.  _

_ Mitch jumped away from him with a yelp and Chris released a long breath before orbing himself in front the door. He smiled brightly at the horrified man when he turned to flee, "Yeah, I'd love it if you were our new daddy!" _

_ Wyatt jumped down from his perch and the man, sputtering and dumbstruck, tripped over himself as he moved further into the room, away from them. Chris' stomach sank and guilt settled over him as he watched the terrified man trying to make himself as small as possible. His brother, however, continued to stalk after their mom’s date. _

_ “Don’t you want to be our new dad?” Wyatt asked and his voice had lost the sweetness he’d added to make himself sound creepier. Instead, he sounded angry and Chris’ eyebrows furrowed as his gaze shifted from their target to his brother. Then he jumped when the doors of the different stalls started to move on their own, banging against the frames. _

_ “Wyatt!” he called, moving from his place by the door and grabbing his brother's shoulder. Wyatt looked at the hand and then his face, his eyes dark enough that Chris swallowed at the expression. He didn’t like that look, there was something both sad and dangerous about it. He’d known the blonde was upset about how these men treated their mother but not this upset, “He doesn’t, we need to leave.” _

_ Wyatt blinked at the suggestion then he looked back at the man who was currently curled into a crying ball against the back wall between the two rows of stalls. Chris felt the boy's shoulder drop and watched the color drain from his face as his eyes widened. This was meant to be a funny prank, just something to scare away a guy not good enough for their mother. They weren’t supposed to traumatize him. The blonde knew he’d taken it too far and he turned away.  _

_ “Yeah, let’s go,” he said and grabbed Chris’s hand to orb them back to the Manor before their grandfather noticed they were missing. _

_ They landed in the attic, where they’d been going through the book before his brother’s brilliant idea, and stood in silence. Chris watched his brother stare off into space and after a while decided he needed an explanation for what had just happened, “Are you ok now?” _

_ “Yeah,” Wyatt said lowly, “Sorry….I just hate seeing mom hurt, it makes me really mad.” _

_ “I know,” Chris muttered and he did know, he hated it too.  _

_ Their quiet contemplation was interrupted by their grandfather’s calls up the stairs telling them that dinner was ready and they went down to eat. Neither one ever mentioned the incident again and both stayed suspiciously quiet as their mother ranted to her sisters about how her date hadn’t even said goodbye. Mitch wasn’t the first guy they’d ever chased away and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. Though Chris made sure after this incident that his brother’s pranks never went that far again.  _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

He sensed his mother in a room full of other people and came to the conclusion that she was on her date. He felt conflicted about interrupting, on the one hand, she was needed before her sisters killed each other. On the other, interrupting them brought up memories he’d rather forget. The restaurant was nice, he’d give his mother’s date that much, but that’s about all the compliments he’d give the man as he laid eyes on him. It didn’t take him long or much concentration to read the other man's emotions and what he felt off of him made his hackles rises. It also meant that he didn’t feel one iota of guilt interrupting anymore. 

"Piper," he said seriously as he walked up to the table.

"What are you doing here?” she gasped with wide eyes and then they narrowed again as she looked him up and down. Interestingly enough she was the only person to remark on his state of disarray, “why are you covered in mud?"

"Excuse me a second, who’s this?” her date asked and Chris could feel the righteous indignation pouring off him. 

He’d interrupted the guy’s ‘game’ and he was suddenly worried he wasn’t going to get laid tonight. That’s all this was to him, a chance at possible sex, and that knowledge made Chris momentarily stupid. Stupid enough, in fact, that he decided to engage in an activity he hadn’t since the age of eleven.

"Me, I'm from the future," he said with a smile and a matter of fact tone as he looked the man up and down. The statement had the desired effect and her date looked back and forth between him and his mother, confused and not a little frightened. On the other hand, Piper made a surprised sound that turned into a nervous laugh as she shot out of her seat and pulled him away from the table quickly.

"Excuse us," she said as she dragged him away and to the edge of the dining area. "Are you crazy?!"

"You’re not serious about that guy are you?" he asked, glaring at her date with disgust as the man watched them. The asshole must have realized he was on to him because he suddenly looked and felt nervous.  

"Well, uh, you know what, that is none of your business,” She said watching him warily and then looking down at the hand she’d used to drag him away to find it covered in dirt. “Where have you been?!"

"That's none of  _ your _ business,” he replied in the same tone she’d used on him as he looked back at her. The offended and angry look on her face gave him pause and he realized he was acting completely ridiculous from her perspective. As far as she was concerned, his protectiveness in this matter was not only strange but out of line, “Look, you better get home before your sisters kill each other."

"What? What happened - oh no, Phoebe?" She asked and her voice took on a whining quality when he nodded, confirming her suspicions. 

She threw her head back with a huff and then walked off to tell her date goodbye before getting her coat and they orbed back to the manor. What they materialized into was an impressive yelling match between the two younger women and they stood for a few seconds getting their bearings. Then his mother whistled loudly and the two jumped before looking over at them.

"Hey, hi,” she said waving at the surprised women and he let go of her hand so that she could walk forward, “what is this about a war?"

"Ask Miss Butinski over there,” Paige sneered, her arms folded as she glared at her older sister, who looked equally hurt and angry. “She was with the Calloways when they killed Richard's dad."

"Paige, I'm telling you they didn't kill anyone," Phoebe cried as she defended the Calloways, whoever they were, and threw her hands up in frustration.

Paige looked at the short-haired woman like she thought she was an idiot, "I was there."

"Yeah, so was I!" Phoebe exclaimed stomping her foot a little and it looked like they were going to descend into another screaming match when Leo came racing down the stairs. 

"Hey can you guys keep it down, I just got Wyatt to sleep," he ordered in a whispered yell and that seemed to put everyone’s anger on a simmer for the moment.

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked and Chris looked over at Phoebe who quickly realized that she’d made a misstep with not just one but both of her sisters in this instance. 

"Ok,” she said before her older sister could put the pieces together and started to drag both the other women into another room. Most likely hoping to distract Piper from the realization of what she'd done in her attempt to help Paige against her wishes, “In the living room, let’s go, let’s go!"

"I'm gonna go," he said and he started to leave but Leo grabbed him quickly before he could.

"Nope!" the other man said happily and he was dragged into the living room for the family meeting.

He was then forced to stand there, staring off into space, as the sister’s discussed the ins and outs of someone else’s family feud. As he watched them argue back and forth, Phoebe’s power more than a passing issue in the conversation, an idea came to him. He'd been working toward the blocking potion but hadn't thought about what he'd do when he finally got it. Leo knew what he was doing and he highly doubted he'd let him complete his task. At least he wouldn't if he thought it was for him but if the potion was for the quarreling sisters? Well, that was something else entirely. He glanced at Leo as the man added his wisdom to the conversation, it might just work. If nothing else it would stop the sisters infighting and it might even throw off the Elder long enough for him to get his own potion.

"What do you mean, like, peace talks?" Paige asked, her sister looking around at all of them, unsure about the idea. He could understand her hesitancy, dealing with disagreeing factions was never fun. In fact, outside of losing people, it was probably his least favorite aspect of his job as the Resistance leader. 

Piper shrugged, "Yeah, why not?"

"You've got an Elder right here, who better to mediate,” he added with a little smile that made the Elder in question’s eyes narrow as he agitatedly spun a baby bottle in his hands. Then Chris hit him on the back with mock comradery. "Good luck!"

Night had fallen in the swamp and as soon as he solidified he heard the Kotochul awake in a panic as the light from his orbing illuminated the area. He cursed loudly as one rocketed at him at top speed and he had to dodge to the left. As he moved, his foot caught on an unseen root in the dark and he felt the burn of his ankle as it pulled in the wrong direction. He was just able to catch the edge of an embankment before he hit the ground in a sprawl and orbed quickly to the nearest tree. It wouldn’t help in avoiding them much, as they could jump so high they might as well be flying, but it would give him a second breather to get the lay of the land.

Problem was, his escape was just as bright as his arrival and they were on him quickly. Again, he was forced to leave and materialized on a nearby hill across from the tree. He’d hoped to be behind his attackers and out of sight, only the ground under his feet gave way, and he rolled forward into the nesting grounds with a grunt. He hissed a little as he pushed himself up and came face to face with a hissing Kotochul hunched over several eggs. Illuminated by the bright moonlight it reminded him of an ostrich, only this creature had moss green feathers and the head of a cobra. A head it used to strike out at him and he threw himself backward, one of his hands landing painfully on a cluster of rocks. That pain gave him an idea and he focused on the rocks before he sent them flying out in all directions at the numerous creatures closing in on him. They were heavier than his blades and didn’t move with the speed or accuracy of them, but they did the trick. The pack, terrified of the unknown projectiles pelting them, ran away into the darkness surrounding the area and left him alone with several eggs to choose from. He snorted to himself as he bounced to his feet and grabbed one before the panicked creatures realized they’d left their babies behind with him.   

"Nicely done,” the apothecary said as he pulled the egg out of the cloth bag he put it in, one spelled to keep it safe. He was not going back into the swamp unless he absolutely had to, “These are not easy to find."

"Tell me about it,” he groused as he rolled his sore shoulder, all things considered, it could have been worse. “How long until it's ready?"

"You'll have it when you need it," he said sagely and Chris leaned back as he cracked the egg and added it to the potion, which of course exploded.

He knew that the man had hoped he’d leave him to work in peace but Chris wasn’t going to do that. He knew Leo was still being kept busy by Paige’s newest quest gone bad and didn’t want to risk the apothecary taking the opportunity to call his father and let him know the progress he’d made on his task; even if he had an excuse now. It would just waste time, though a part of him almost hoped Leo did argue with it, making himself look petty in the process.

He wasn’t sure how long the process took but he spent more time then he wanted to pacing back and forth, only pausing briefly when Leo came into the cave. The fact that the Apothecary finished the potion several minutes after that made him twitch. Of course, he’d been stalling until Leo came back, ‘when he needed it’ his ass.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked, watching as the older man filled a vial with bright red liquid. This could go one of two ways, either the potion was real or it wasn’t. 

"As long as it doesn't make you violently ill, side effects, you never know," the old man shrugged and he winced as he remembered the side effects of H2G. If he could handle those he could handle anything this potion threw at him, though he did worry about the sisters. His idea may have been a cover story, but the more he thought about it the more it really did seem like a good idea.

"Thanks for the tip," he said with a half-smile, holding his out hand.

"You sure it's worth the risk?" the man asked, handing him the vial with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn’t," Chris muttered as he inspected the potion, wondering again if this man would be willing to sell him a dud. As it was, this Apothecary was breaking the unofficial ‘rules’ by outing him to Leo, would he compound that by selling false goods too?

"He won't tell me," the old man said, sounding put upon.

It was the way it was said rather than the words that caught his attention, "Tell you what?"

"What you need the potion for?" Leo’s disembodied voice echoed around the room before he uncloaked himself and Chris had to remind himself to be surprised. “Other than to hide your secrets, that is."

"What? This was all a setup?!” he asked with what he hoped was the proper amount of confusion, the indignation part was easy. Then he held the vial out, glaring at the old man. “Is the potion even legit?!"

"It's legit alright,” the Apothecary said with a nod and he let out a relieved breath, at least today wasn’t a total loss. “But I'm afraid you have to answer to a higher power now."

"Go ahead, take it," he tossed the vial at his father carelessly before Leo could start making speeches and threats. Leo looked vaguely shocked as he caught the bottle, “It wasn't for me anyway."

Leo looked at it then back to Chris, "really?" 

"I got it for the sisters, Phoebe's new power is wreaking havoc on their relationship,” he said, the half-truth flowing easily off his tongue. “Or haven't you noticed?"

Leo scoffed as he gestured with the vial, "you expect me to believe this wasn't meant to protect your secrets?"

"No I don't,” he shrugged, not really caring if the older man believed him, in fact, he actually hoped Leo pushed the issue with the sisters. As it was they were becoming increasingly annoyed by his paranoia, this whole thing could only help him. “But seeing as you haven't figured me out yet, why would I even need it?"

"Don't get too cocky kid.” Leo snapped, giving him that glare again, the one he’d passed on to his eldest son and Chris fought a shiver, “Wouldn’t want me to clip your wings now would you?"

For a brief moment, the tension between the two of them was almost tangible. For Chris, it wasn’t so much the threat, because as a witchlighter he had no wings to cut, but the memories that the look brought back. On the other hand, Leo, who was already upset, noticed his angry reaction and it fed his own. He knew he needed to break the stalemate somehow but he wasn’t sure how he could do it when a ringing cut through the air, the sisters were calling for them. 

"Oops. Looks like Wyatt needs another babysitter, dad," he said throwing in the title as a personal joke when he glanced up at the ceiling. Leo narrowed his eyes, fiddling with the bottle like he was deciding if he should break it or not, then orbed away to answer the summons. The moment he was gone Chris clapped his hands and looked over at the Apothecary, "Alright, how fast can you make another one?"

The man was taken aback, "But you-"

"Listen," Chris cut him off, his face turning politely cold as he leaned on the work table, "You're gonna make me another and you won't tell  _ him _ . Unless of course, you want every upper-level demon in the Underworld to know you sold a client out to an Elder."

The old sorcerer’s face fell and he looked terrified. Then he nodded his head in a jerking motion before moving quickly to complete his ordered task. One of the things that made Apothecaries neutral wasn’t just their willingness to work with both sides, without choosing one, but also their client confidentiality. To betray a client, in general, would lose business but it was something that could be forgiven over time. However, betraying a client to someone like an Elder, a being of supreme good, was choosing a side and a death sentence if it was found out. At any other time, he might have felt bad about the amount of stress he could see on the old man’s face as he worked and to be perfectly honest he didn’t really blame him either. It was difficult, if not impossible for someone of his status to refuse an Elder, but that didn’t mean he was off the hook. Chris was long used to using all his options to get what he wanted out of people. 

Finally, after some more mixing and explosions, a much shorter process this time, he was handed another vial. The red contents had the same magical resonance as the previous one and if that worked then so would this one. He smiled at the older man good-naturedly and even paid him for both of the potions. The Apothecary stared at him dumbstruck, not having expected to get paid at all after everything, but this wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted to give the other man even more incentive to keep his mouth shut.

By the time he got back to his room at the club, he could hear the employees cleaning up for the night and decided to get what little sleep he could before meeting with the sisters again. The idea of taking the potion never even crossing his mind. He wanted to make sure it worked and that it wasn’t something else, he still didn’t quite believe that the Apothecary had done what he’d asked, not with his father involved. For all, he knew it could have been some kind of truth serum, innocuous for the sisters and potentially disastrous for him without his wards active.

The next morning he found Piper and Paige outside the attic door banging on it and trying to get to Phoebe who’d holed herself inside. It only took a quick explanation for him to realize that it was because of her powers and that Leo hadn’t given them the potion. He could work with that and he helped the two call for the middle sister until Paige finally had enough and grabbed both their hands to orb them into the attic.

"You know people lock doors for a reason," Phoebe groused as she sat back in her seat looking defeated. Chris walked over to one of the attic’s sofas with a smile on his face, this was perfect, and sat down to watch the show. 

"Yes,” Paige agreed with a sarcastic, yet happy, air about her. Whatever success she’d had yesterday had put her in a good mood, “but if you can use your powers to intrude on my life I think I can use mine to intrude on yours."

"Come on Phoebe, none of us like this new power of yours any more than you do, but it's pointless to isolate yourself,” Piper said trying to be reasonable and a little comforting.

“Well if I can't read you I can't hurt you," she said despondently and Chris rolled his eyes a little, his father may have tried to trap him but it was going to backfire spectacularly on him. He should have just given them the potion. Now all Leo had done was give him another opportunity to gain trust and make them frustrated with the Elder.

"Well if you can't control your powers you can, I dunno, try to control yourself?” Paige asked with a shrug and he frowned at his youngest aunt. That wasn’t fair. Sure she’d been annoying but Phoebe’s actions had come from a good place, she shouldn’t have to deal with this level of derision for it.

"Because, Paige, I can't,” Phoebe cried, “and I can sense how much that annoys you and it's hurting me."

"Well, what's hurting me is I've discovered I have this magical destiny and I can't trust you to leave me alone to follow it!" Paige snapped and his frown deepened as he watched the back and forth, waiting for the right moment to interrupt.

"What do you think I'm trying to do up here?" Phoebe asked as she threw the pen she’d been using to write spells down.

"Ok, let's look at the bright side,” Piper said, trying to stop the brewing argument, “we settled a family feud, we set free a tortured soul, maybe your new power and Paige's solo path away from the sisterhood is some kind of synergy and it's all working together in some kind of divine way."

"Nah," they both said together with looks of disgust and it was the opening he’d been waiting for. 

"I don't get it,” he leaned forward in his seat as all three turned to look at him “Leo didn't give you the empath blocking potion?"

Piper’s eyes widened, "what potion?!"

"What?!" Paige cried, sounding offended that she was just hearing about such a thing.

"Leo!" Piper called, her voice dangerous and he smirked as the older man appeared in a flurry of lights.

"Gimme gimme!” Phoebe yelled almost bouncing out of her seat, gesturing wildly at all three of them, “Faster faster!"

"They’re really anxious about that potion you got 'em,” Chris said, when all Leo did was stare blankly back at the middle sister. Leo spun to look at him and instantly knew what Chris had done.

"Yeah, only I think you should wait to take it,” Leo said with a frown as he looked at all three anxious women and then back at Chris who he glared at, “Phoebe was given her power for a reason."

"Forget that!" His mother yelled, as frustrated with Phoebe’s new power as Paige. She may have been willing to live with it if there was no other choice but there was one now. 

Reluctantly, Leo handed the vial over to Piper who drank some as Leo worked his jaw while he watched her. Then she handed it to Paige who also drank it without pausing and the two of them danced in place teasingly as Phoebe tried to read them. After a moment, a bright smile spread across the middle sister’s face and she confirmed that she couldn’t feel anything from them. All three rejoiced at that and after a brief back and forth, his aunts left the room to help Paige get ready to go see someone named Richard, leaving him alone with his parents. 

"So, it worked, right?” he asked, watching his mother carefully as she glared at his father, waiting for possible side effects, “No nausea no queasiness? Nothing like that?"

"Nope." Piper said with a shrug and, with one last glare at her husband, walked off herself, "nothing."

He smirked at Leo, "Well it looks like we're one big, happy family again."

"You're not family." Leo sneered, like he was disgusted at the very thought of ever being related to him. 

Chris watched him leave, his jaw clenched, and he realized that the comment should have hurt him a lot more than it had. Maybe, if it had come from the sisters, it would have. But from Leo? Someone he'd only begrudgingly thought of as family for years because he couldn't deny a fact? That was just the status quo really. The idea that his father didn't consider him to be family was something he'd accepted and moved past years ago. Once he sensed that Leo was far enough away from him, he pulled out his own potion and downed the disgusting contents in one mouthful. 

He snorted at the vial, still not as bad as H2G. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Chris deliberates celebrating one birthday and develops a new skill on another.


	19. How Old Are You Now?

Chris was alone as he stared at the office wall calendar, it was October 15 th and he was officially twenty-three years old.

Eight years. 

He’d been fighting this war for eight long years of his short life and Chris rubbed his face tiredly. Thoughtlessly he set aside the book he’d been looking through and frowned. He wondered briefly if he should tell anyone, then just as quickly scoffed at himself. Just because it was his birthday, or rather would be in a year, didn’t mean that he had an excuse to be overly sentimental about it. He had work to do and no matter how much he might like a day off, he wasn't going to take it. He only had a year left before the event he'd only ever heard about in passing occurred and his brother was taken. Twelve short months to find his brother's attacker or he’d fail his mission. 

“Hey, guys I have a demon that-” he started to say as he orbed into the main hall room and paused at the sight that greeted him. 

All three sisters and Wyatt were at the dining room table eating a large breakfast with the Morris family, children and all. It looked like a party and he bit his lip as a tight feeling filled his chest and made it difficult to breathe. Memories of younger years flew through his mind and he was overcome by a longing that threatened to swallow him whole.

“Chris,” Piper hissed as she put a platter piled high with pancakes on the table before storming over to him. The presence of his mother on his birthday struck him in a way he should have expected but hadn't, and for a moment he lost control of himself. He let his feelings show on his face and Piper took a step back while Phoebe stood slightly out of her seat. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I was just - look I’m sorry if I interrupted something,” he cleared his throat and his voice was hoarse as he glanced at the room full of people watching him worriedly. Thankfully it was all people who were in on the magical secret and he took a deep breath as his hands started to shake,“…I’ll just... come back later.”

All three sisters looked truly concerned now, they usually had to fight him to avoid demon hunting, and he orbed out of the Manor to a small ornate park near the Golden Gate. There he sat heavily on a bench and buried his face in shaking hands as he forced himself to breathe evenly. He didn’t want to fight. Any fervor he’d had upon realizing the date was lost in the despair this day brought. From his mother’s death to the forced ‘day of peace’ Wyatt had created over the years their war raged, this had always been a tough day. Now the weight of it left him without the will to do anything but sit and think.    

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

_ Chris hurled a glass at the bedroom door while the furniture around him shifted and vibrated in response to his anger. Two months, two fucking months, he’d been in this room and just when his family was starting to get suspicious Wyatt pulled this! A magical clone! His brother had made a magical clone of him that his aunts’ latest spell had supposedly ‘cured’. Now everyone thought the puppet was him and no one even knew he was still trapped in here! He was breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself down. Wyatt had known this would set him off, it’s why he’d told him and run, but that didn’t mean he’d be forgiven for losing control too much. If he started throwing furniture around he was going to lose the little bits of freedom and comfort he’d fucking earned over his captivity.   _

_ It took a while but finally he leveled off and stored this latest resentment away deep inside to be pulled out again when he was in a position to cause some damage. Because someday he would be, even if it took him years to get out, he would get free and then his brother was going to pay for all of it.  _

_ He’d been about to move back to his ward studies when a thought occurred to him and he turned back to telekinetically pull the minefield of glass he’d made off the floor. The last thing he needed today was to butcher his feet because he’d forgotten about them. The stream of glass floated through the air like a glittering snake and it caught his interest for a reason he couldn’t quite explain. Years later he realized it was probably another one of those moments, where the Angel of Destiny tapped him on the shoulder so to speak, but in that moment he thought it was the shine that did it. He quickly found himself playing with the glass as it moved around before him, turning it into shapes and designs. This was the perfect exercise. He’d been trying to figure out a way to hone his telekinesis and here it was in the form of jagged little pieces. He’d long since learned to channel his power mentally, though the physical movements his non-power specialized brother was still tied to were a default for him, this was just another expansion of that. If he could learn to control even just a few shards simultaneously, in different ways, that might just give him the edge in a fight with his supercharged brother. _

_ For the next month, Wyatt gave him space and he used the time to practice with the glass constantly, especially when he was exercising. Like today and with a pained hiss Chris let go of his makeshift pull-up bar to drop to the ground, making sure the glass was sent to the bathroom counter with a thought. Dressed in only workout shorts, he’d been practicing his newest telekinesis drill, maintaining a constant cloud of swirling glass shards around him without getting hit. Now one of the pieces had nicked his shoulder. It was a technique that had taken him several days to fine tune and so far he'd had decent success with it. The basis for the idea had been Wyatt’s shield and he was trying to maintain a wall of glass, once his bathroom mirror, floating around him at all times while he went about his daily activities.  _

_ His goal was simple and yet complex, namely, he wanted to 'muscle memory' his powers. To train them so completely that they worked on a subconscious level. It was an ambitious idea but a necessary one. He needed them to just react in a fight instead of having to actively focus on them, like playing the piano and not having to look at the keys. He wasn’t even sure it was possible to get them to the level he wanted but his early success had made him cocky and now he had a bleeding shoulder to show for it. Of course, that was also why he was using glass instead of something else. When he lost focus with something else it tapped him. Glass shards, however, hurt and he knew from learning how to fall in martial arts that pain was a good motivator for staying focused and getting something right the first time. _

_ He’d just finished using his powers to apply a Band-Aid when he felt the tell-tale shift in the air that announced his brother was passing through the room’s barrier. Chris cursed as he orbed his shirt on from across the room and walked into his bedroom. He’d just shut off the light and closed the door when a cloud of purple lights appeared near the windows. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to find out about his new hobby. God only knew what Wyatt would think or do about it. _

_ “Happy Birthday Wy,” He said with a polite, but distant, smile once the boy materialized. He’d actually been expecting a visit long before this, the aunts must have been keeping him busy. _

_ Wyatt looked stunned, “How did you know that? You’ve been in here-“ _

_ “Just about three months, yeah I know, you put me in here on November 5 _ _ th _ _ and according to my count, that would make today February 2 _ _ nd _ _ , your birthday,” He walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed a random one. It was just a prop, something to ignore the blonde with, “You’re seventeen now so you're gonna get Excalibur. I bet the aunts are throwing a huge party for it. Tell me they’re not?” _

_ “You’ve been counting?" His brother asked, the idea concerning him, as well it should. When most prisoners counted the days it was a sign of hope, of unbroken-ness, because they knew they’d be free after a certain number. However, in Chris’s situation, it was more likely a sign of rebellion. That he was counting the days as a debt that would be paid him. That was a sign that didn’t bode well for Wyatt’s continued attempt to convert him. _

_ “Of course, have to keep track of time somehow,” he flopped on his bed and regretted the action as his wounded shoulder hit the mattress. He bit his tongue, trying to hide his reaction, but something must have given him away because Wyatt’s eyes narrowed. _

_ “What’s with the wincing, are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?” he moved forward as if to check him for injuries and Chris pulled back. _

_ “I pulled a muscle in my shoulder, I’m fine,” he lied, hoping his brother would leave it at that, but that just seemed to upset him further. _

_ “You always were a walking disaster area, come here, I’ll fix it for you,” Chris wanted to argue more but judiciously decided against it, fighting too hard would be suspicious. It was better to just let his brother heal him through his shirt. If he fought him Wyatt would demand to see the injury thinking Chris was downplaying something serious. At which point he’d see the cut in a difficult place to reach when he should have had nothing to cut himself with in the first place. _

_ He half-heartedly grumbled about being able to take care of himself as his brother held his hand over it. He felt a slight itchiness as the skin knit back together and then it was over and he was having his hair ruffled like he was a cute five-year-old instead of fifteen. _

_ “Stop it!” he grumbled petulantly as he shoved the blonde away who just laughed, “Don’t you have a birthday party to go to?” _

_ “Sure do,” he walked over and sat in his customary chair again, “But it’s my birthday and I want to spend time with someone worth it. Is that such a crime?” _

_ “Oh and the aunts aren’t worth your time all of sudden?” he asked it jokingly but his tone was merely to hide his concern.  _

_ It was something he’d notice over the last few months, Wyatt’s increasing disregard for the family and focus on him. He knew it was a symptom of his brother’s descent into evil but recently that spiral seemed to be picking up speed. Just a year ago the blonde never would have dreamed of saying the cruel and bitter things he said so casually about their cousins now. That disregard made him nervous about what the older boy was becoming capable of, would he hurt them? Could he? Not for the first time, Chris second-guessed his plan from November and could only hope the aunts figured all this out before his brother did something irreversibly stupid.  _

_ Wyatt looked tired at the question, “They’re just being so difficult about your double. I’m starting to lose patience and the cousins are just plain annoying. Spoiled fucking brats, the lot of them. I’d much rather spend the day with someone intelligent.” _

_ “Oh, so he’s not fooling them as well as you’d hoped?” Chris asked, ignoring the anger directed at the cousins. They'd had fights about this before but that seemed to only increase Wyatt's frustration with the kids as he tended to blame their very existence for the argument in the first place.  _

_ Wyatt looked at him blandly, “Cute, Christopher, very cute. In the case of Paige, I think you're right though and I have you to thank for that. Phoebe just thinks that the spell didn’t work quite right, same with dad. Your friends are a little more concerned but they also think it’s a spell gone awry.” _

_ He wanted to ask more but the use of his name was a sign that he was skating on thin ice as it was, so he decided to change the subject slightly. “It’s not going to be a problem for long though. I mean you've got Excalibur now. I’m gonna assume the world domination is days away, right?” _

_ Wyatt tilted his head, his eyes dancing, “You know what they say about assuming things. My plans are on schedule, with Azulon I expect nothing less, but my birthday is just so cliché don’t you think? Plus, I want to eat my cake in peace thank you very much.” _

_ Chris’s eye narrowed, “I guess, I was really just hoping to get out of here soon is all.” _

_ “You leaving has always been up to you Chris,” He said, but then paused and shook his head. “I guess that’s not strictly true anymore is it? You’ve been too stubborn. I honestly can't trust you now and transitions are always messy. I know you enough to know you wouldn't handle it well, you care too much.” _

_ Chris wanted to scoff. He knew that what his brother was saying was true to some extent. He was a caring person but that didn’t also make him weak. He’d learned growing up that he could help people with his fist as well as with kindness. No, his brother was going to keep him in a box until it was all over not because he couldn’t 'handle' the coming war but because Wyatt knew his brother would be a dangerous adversary. At least that’s what he’d like to believe. Then again, maybe it was better his brother did think him too soft. That he wasn’t a serious source of opposition. It would make the eventual reality sucker punch Chris was planning on delivering all the more potent. _

_ “My heart bleeds for your suffering,” Chris sneered with all the sarcasm his voice was capable of conveying. Wyatt looked up, affronted, and so he rolled his eyes pretending that it had just been a joke. His brother wasn’t fooled but neither wanted to push the other at that moment, “You should probably go before you’re missed. Don’t forget to send me some cake, it’s only fair considering.” _

_ Wyatt had that dangerous look again, only instead of attacking he controlled himself and nodded in a jerky motion. Chris wondered distantly as his brother faded away which was scarier, the volatile anger of months ago, or the controlled fury of it now. Alone once again, he decided that the controlled anger was worse. People in control thought things through and were less likely to make mistakes. _

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

“This is fucking sad,” Chris muttered as he leaned heavily on the desk and looked at the small cake he’d stolen from a bakery on a whim. Then he rubbed his face with a groan, “You’re too old for this Chris.” 

He’d been walking around the city, just walking and ignoring the calls of the sisters because he could sense their worry rather than pain or danger. If they needed his help then he’d go to them, but other than that he was taking the day off. It was how he’d found the busy little bakery in an out of the way street, though it must have been good because the line was out the door. He’d simply looked over the merchandise and orbed one of the cakes to himself when no one was paying attention. Now he wondered why he’d even done it in the first place. Sure the spiral pattern looked like the cake Prue had made for his birthday last year and the blue frosting was Parker's favorite color, but this wasn’t him. He didn’t get sentimental about things like this. Not that his aunt, cousin, and friends hadn't tried their damndest over the last few years to make him that way about today.

“So are you going to eat all that yourself or just stare at it?” Phoebe asked from the doorway and he jumped, he’d been so lost in his own head that he hadn’t felt her approaching. He berated himself for that, what if she’d been a demon?

“I haven’t decided,” he muttered looking over at her as he leaned back in his chair, “I wasn’t really thinking when I grabbed it, now I’m not sure if I even want it.”

She walked into the room and took a seat on the other side of the desk, “Happy Birthday? Is today your birthday? Is that what the ignoring and this morning was about?”

“Yeah,” he said with a quirk of his mouth, “Seeing you all this morning it - it just reminded me of… things…”

“Not good things?” she asked with a tilt of her head and he eyed her, weighing his options. 

“At the time they were,” he muttered finally as he leaned on his upturned palm and went back to staring at the cake.

The statement intrigued her, “But not now?”

He sighed as he gave her a hollow look, “The bad destroys the good after a while or can you honestly tell me you look back at Cole fondly?”

Phoebe’s eyes widened at both the equivalency he was trying to make and the fact that he knew her well enough to make it, “Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad!”

“It was about what you went through with Cole times a thousand…then add some more,” he muttered dully looking away from her again, weaving the knife he wasn’t sure he was going to use around his fingers. It was a habit he’d picked up over the years and he did it mostly when he was thinking. She watched him, eyes zeroing in on the skill his actions required and then leaned back in her seat thoughtfully.

“I have a feeling I’m not going to get anything more out of you about that am I?” She asked, and he said nothing, he’d said too much already. She sighed, “I figured as much, so do you want to celebrate or not?”

“That’s the question I’m trying to answer,” he said with a little frustration, why was this such a big thing? Did he want to eat the freakin’ cake or did he want to throw it away? Why was this even an issue?

Phoebe reached out toward the hand he was using to play with his knife and he abruptly stopped, though he never looked away from the desert. She frowned again, took the knife carefully, and cut the cake before he could say anything else, “Well I think you should celebrate, you’re too serious! It’s your birthday, a happy day!”

“I haven’t had a happy birthday since I was thirteen,” he scoffed and Phoebe’s head jerked up as she placed a piece of the cake on one of the paper plates his mother stored in the room. They stared at one another as Chris realized what he’d done and then he looked away. 

“Just how old are you Chris?” She asked after a few moments of silence passed between them and he only scowled so she continued, “Whitelighters don’t age so I just assumed you were older than you looked…but now that I think about it you did say ‘you were new at this’ when you couldn’t heal Paige.” 

“Stop fishing Phoebe,” he said, standing and walking over to the small fridge the office had to pull out two bottles of Cola, one of which he handed to her. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“Ah,” she said with a teasing little smile as she cut herself a piece and he hesitated again before grabbing his, “But you already have! I know that you know us in the future, that it’s not such a great place and that has to do with Wyatt in some way, and that you’re a new whitelighter - wait don’t tell me you became one because we couldn’t save you?!”

He stared at her, a cake filled fork hovering at his mouth, what was he supposed to say to that?! Torn he decided to deflect, “What makes you think I know you in the future?”

“All my life I’ve never seen you take the bait like that witch did,” Phoebe said doing a horrible impression of him and he felt the blood drain from his face, “What, you think I’d forget a statement like that?!…Hey…come on Chris, don’t look so upset, it’s your birthday!”

“This was a horrible idea,” he muttered as he put his fork down and stood but she grabbed his arm.

Phoebe looked both terribly sad and worried, “Did you die because of us Chris?”

“No,” he could at least put her mind at ease about that if nothing else. Especially considering the fact that he wasn’t even really dead.

“Ok then,” her smile was back before she shoved him into his seat, “Now enjoy your cake, I won’t bother you with future questions anymore.”

For the next little while they sat and ate, as they talked about inconsequential things. A topic that ended with her declaring that they were going to go shopping together the next day because she hadn’t known to get him a gift and he needed new clothes. He’d protested, of course, he had, but just like his version of her, she could not be swayed from her master plan or from a shopping trip where she got to play dress up. Chris had just chuckled to himself as she walked out of the room, some newspaper meeting to attend. He should have known she'd tell her sisters and that they'd want to get in on the fun, and, surprisingly enough, he ended up actually having fun the next day too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: The sisters inability to focus drives Chris to desperation and he gets a sparring partner.


End file.
